Trials and Tribulations
by Reily96
Summary: Sequel to LoZ: Ocean Fortress. Five years have passed and the goddesses have not forgotten about the formerly cursed Vaati. Subjecting him to a trial which would no doubt be biased, the mage's servants call on Link's help to save him from a grim fate.
1. Party Crashers

Rejoice, good people! The sequel to Ocean Fortress is here! Anyways, I didn't bother to title this one with "Legend of Zelda" because... Well... she actually doesn't do anything terribly important in this story and she's not going to get kidnapped and needing to be rescued... Nope. So yeah... The title makes me think of Phoenix Wright... cuz I'm a video game dork that way... God I need to get off the internet and my DS...

Anyways, in Ocean Fortress, the goddessess never really made any other appearances after Vaati found himself so... the sequel is going to remedy that. Hehe... Rating might change later too...

This one's pretty long for a first chapter, so I'm proud of it. But it's really fast paced just because... I don't like description. D: Anyways, I'm taking up your time with my ranting. READ NOW BIZNATCHES!

* * *

After going through so much trouble, the night had finally come. He'd fought hard for this, so, so hard and he won. And now the night was here that he'd officially court Zelda. Link had fought dragons and Stalfos knights, but politicians were _by far_ much more deadly foes. He'd brought the matter up with the king first, his grandfather backing him. The king gave his full support, the rest of the Court, however, did not. It had to be one of the biggest scandals in Hyrule's history. Never mind that he went through Hell and back again to save the Princess _and_ Hyrule. But after all that trouble, he was finally approved by all of the Court to court Zelda, if not grudgingly. And their first official act as a courting couple was for Link to be Zelda's official partner for her Coming Out Party.

Standing in front of the mirror, straightening out his dress tunic, making sure he had his good gloves on, actually combing his hair… But where…?

"Mom!" he called a bit frantically. "Mom, where's my hat!?"

His mother shuffled in, holding a green cap and biting off a thread from it. She handed it to him, with a small smile. "Right here."

He sighed in relief and took it from her, settling it carefully on his head.

"You look so handsome…" he heard his mother say.

He gave her a big grin. His mother didn't look like she did five years ago, no, her age was showing now and the lines in her face were more visible. But aside from Zelda, she was still the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He hugged her. "Thanks, Mom…"

"Link!" he heard his grandfather's raspy voice call out. He seemed to have aged greatly in the last five years as well. He no longer trained the soldiers at the Castle, he left that up to Link now.

"Yeah, Gramps?"

"Boy, yer gonna be late!" his grandpa said as he slowly crept in the room.

"Late, what do…" he glanced over at the clock and groaned. "Sorry, Mom, I have to go!" And he sped out the door, hearing his mother cry out for him not to run too fast else he should ruin how good he looked. Luckily, he didn't have to worry too much about that. He hadn't told anyone yet about it… He ran, but not to Castle Town. He ran towards the ranch just outside of it.

"Hi Malon, bye Malon!" he said with a quick wave as he passed an auburn haired girl. She wasn't surprised, she was used to this.

"I got her saddled up already! Don't do anything reckless with her!" she shouted to him as he ran into the stables.

Sure enough, the mare was there and saddled up. She whinnied happily at the sight of him. He just smiled and climbed up on her quickly. He grabbed her reigns and kicked her off to a start. She sped off and Link, already used to the discomfort of a saddle, ushered her on. He was really glad he took that job at the ranch in his spare time. Plus, Epona was a beautiful horse. Fit for the man courting the princess. Even better, he was the only one the mare liked, aside from Malon.

He cut a lot of people off on the way to the Castle; pedestrians, carriages, everyone. It wasn't really going to sound good later, but he'd rather be punctual and receive a bad wrap for it than be late and ostracized for it.

The guards of the Castle quickly scattered away to let Link and Epona through, cursing loudly at him. He didn't even pay attention to what they said. He brought the mare to a sliding stop at the door. He climbed off clumsily and handed the reigns to the flabbergasted doorman and ran in.

A guard immediately grabbed his arm from the side. He recognized him as the guard that was Zelda's personal bodyguard. The man scolded him for being almost late and he just kept saying "sorry, sorry, sorry."

"Don't say sorry to me." the guard said as he opened up a large double-door and pushed him in. Link staggered in and scowled at the guard who followed him in.

"Oh thank the goddesses, I thought you were going to be late." he heard Zelda say. It was then that he actually saw her the first time that day and he felt his jaw drop to the floor. She turned to face him completely, the large, lacy skirt shifting and following her movement. "How do I look?" she asked.

At first he said some gibberish but he finally managed to say, "Beautiful…"

* * *

There was a large, fancy opening ceremony. The King did a lot of talking and there were a lot of speeches from some nobles who knew the princess since she was little. It was all very boring. After what felt like hours, the actual party began. He couldn't wait for the food, that was for sure. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, so he was ravenous. He only had a few bites, though, before Zelda dragged him off to the dance floor. He was a little grumpy at first but he got over it. The two were teenagers having fun at their party, dancing the night away.

The band had finished the song and then the King stood up. Taking a deep breath so he could enunciate and the whole room could hear, he announced that they were going to try something a little different. Link knew what was coming, Zelda warned him about it.

"It's supposed to be a test." she told him earlier, "It was the Court's idea, they're trying to test your devotion to me."

"All those who came with a companion," the King said, "Are to dance with someone they did not bring with them!"

Boys and men of all ages came to ask Zelda for a dance. With a nervous smile and shrug to Link, she reluctantly accepted the hand of one the boys. Link also had quite of a following among the girls but for some reason he felt uncomfortable accepting any of them.

"Excuse me," he heard a voice from behind him. He straightened up in surprise. It was a voice he could've sworn he heard from somewhere… He turned with a puzzled look on his face. It was a woman, older than him but very pretty. She seemed eerily familiar but he couldn't put his finger on it. She curtsied and gave him a polite smile. "Could I have this dance?"

"Um… sure…" he said, but it came weirdly. He was so, so sure he had seen this woman before.

She gave another polite smile, and they both assumed the waltz position. The music started, he stepped forward. She stepped back. She knew it how it worked, male leads, woman followed. She was familiar with this, but he wasn't sure how. He was sure he'd never seen her in the Castle, at least not all gussied up like this. But he knew her from somewhere… Towards the end of the song, curiosity got the better of him and he had to ask.

"Have I met you before?" he asked.

She smiled, this one not polite but genuine and almost amused. "Yes."

"When?"

The song ended and they let their hands part. She bowed, as was customary for the woman to do after a dance, and then said as she was about to walk off, "Ten minutes, out in the hall, I'll tell you everything."

He just stood there, baffled. What was that about? Should he go out and see her or… What was he thinking! Of course not! … But it couldn't have been what he thought it was, right?

After Zelda had found him, she had finally let Link actually eat. He tried not to seem too distracted. That woman was still on his mind. Not really because he was interested in her… no, it was because they _had_ met before and he just couldn't place where. It was driving him nuts! He thought about bringing it up with Zelda… he wasn't sure how she would take it…

Ten minutes… "Uh, Zelda… I have to use the bathroom…" he said.

"That's right, you didn't go beforehand did you?" she said. "Don't take too long okay!"

He blinked in surprise. He was sure he was going to get some sort of resistance. Normally she'd say "Why didn't you go before?" or "I saw you go three times already!!" something to that effect but this time… Should he be suspicious?

Pushing the confusion o the back of his mind, he got up and traveled through the maze of people to the hall. It was much easier thought than done because the room was awfully crowded. Still, he managed to make it to the hall in one piece, and the woman was waiting there.

He marched up to her, not bothering to hide the frustration he felt from not figuring out where he'd seen her from. "Who are you and-"

"I _knew_ it!" he heard Zelda shriek.

Horrified, he turned to see the princess stomping towards him.

"Link, who on Earth is…" she paused for a moment as she took in the woman's face. "Rayeh?"

The woman grinned broadly and bowed. "Your Highness, Princess Zelda. It's good to see you again." she said.

Rayeh…? Rayeh…? The name was familiar but… where… he racked his brains and then it hit him. The linen maid! She was the maid from five years ago! But… wasn't she…

"What are you doing here?!" he blurted out. "And dressed like that!" Last time he met with her, she was working to hold her own and now… now… she was barely recognizable just from her dress!

She opened her mouth to say something but a black blob started to come out of the wall, taking a form of a hooded creature with red eyes and a lantern hovering nearby. "Lady Rayeh!" it said in an annoyed tone. "What is taking so-"

"Poe?!" Link blurted out.

The specter shifted its attention to the teenage boy. "Oh… Oh there he is."

But before the conversation could go on, someone cried out, "GHOST!"

* * *

LAWL! Did you guys think I was going to do something naughty there? Pshaw, of course not.

... I frikkin love Poe. He's so adorable! X3


	2. A Plea for Assistance

Okay, I forgot to address some very important things about this story last time... First of all, unlike OF, where it had a sort of light-hearted tone and everything... Yeah, this story's going to be opposite. It's going to be pretty damn dark and pretty damn twisted... That's typically what I usually write, so this is more my comfort zone actually. Oh, and very important here: regular updates will be on Sundays, but I'll try to see if I can squeeze in a chapter later this week. ;D

Now I will talk to you my beloved regulars:

**Diablo1123**, ah sleep... I'd love some of that. Lord knows I don't get nearly as much as I should. D:

**fleets**, well yes, Link being a bit absent minded is something most people can agree on. XD AND ISN'T POE ADORABLE? If he was he was real... I'd totally keep him as a pet. XD

**link2832**, you bring up a good point actually. Believe it or not, the relationship between those two is a major subplot.

**Okami-Raen**, yes, yes he is. :3

**Mairu - The Lost Sheikah**, ehehe, maybe, maybe not.

* * *

It was amazing how just one word could send people into a frenzy. The others in the hall started screaming and their screams made it to the ballroom, people got curious, and even though Poe was long gone by the time more people started to investigate, Zelda suggested it was best that they make themselves scarce. Somehow, they all ended up in the Castle Gardens but it was for the most part empty. When they were sure they were alone, that was when Poe reappeared. But, the girls spoke first.

"Wow, Rayeh… You look so different!" Zelda said, "I mean, you don't look anything like you did five years ago…"

The former linen maid smiled, "Lord Vaati treats me well." As soon as she said it, however, her expression dimmed.

"You aren't here just to say hi." Link said, noting her sudden change in mood.

"Of course not fool!" Poe said, "No one would want to visit the likes of you! You're Master Vaati's sworn enemy!"

"No one asked you, you bodiless creep!" Link snapped.

"Okay!" Zelda stepped in, "Let's not get into fights right now!" Seeming a bit nervous she faced Rayeh. "What's going on?"

The woman gave a sad sigh and said, "Lord Vaati kicked us out…"

Link forked an eyebrow, not really sure how this was a problem. The guy could be anti-social as hell but to suddenly kick them out didn't sound like him. He looked over at Poe, "Is that true?"

The ghost remained silent, not showing any expression on his simple, dark face. Then he just broke down and started bawling. "Yes! Yes! It's all true! Oh Master Vaati! Why?! The woman I could understand, but _me_-your most loyal servant?!" and he continued to rant on like that, leaving the other three a bit unnerved.

"Does he use handkerchiefs… or would offering him one be pointless…?" Zelda whispered to Link. He shrugged; he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know the answer to that question.

"He is being dramatic." Rayeh said, giving the specter a pitiful glance. "It was not just us he kicked out; he kicked out the Bokoblins too! I wouldn't be surprised if the rats are gone as well!"

Link felt his face contort into one of confusion. "Why?" Kicking _all_ his lackeys out?

"We don't know." Rayeh shrugged. "He gave us no explanation, just forced us out. I could understand him not telling me anything-"

Poe finished for her, "But he didn't say a word to me! Surely if was going to pull a stunt like this, he would've tripled on his after-death threats-but he didn't even do _any_ after-death threats!" he said just as hysterically as before.

Wait, wait, wait…? Vaati _not_ threatening Poe? "That's not right…" he muttered. "But why are you coming to me with this? I have no idea what's going on. And-not that it would make much of a difference-did one of you try to talk to him?"

Rayeh frowned. "He never talks to me about anything. Besides…"

She let Poe continue again, "By the time I went to ask his forgiveness for anything I had done, he was gone."

"So?"

Poe gave him a look that Link could only identify as one of a stalker, "I waited." he said.

"Um… okay…" the teen said, trying not to act creeped out.

He felt Zelda cling to his arm. "He's creepy…" she muttered.

He just gave a quick nod before continuing, "That _is _weird, yeah, but again, why to come to me? I have no idea where he could be."

Both the ghost and the woman kept quiet. Link frowned, knowing what the silence meant. He didn't dare acknowledge it, though.

Unfortunately Zelda did.

"You know." she said.

Both of them fidgeted nervously and faced each other for a moment and then Poe finally submitted defeat and said, "It was a week before the Master threw us out. A messenger of the gods came and gave the Master a very… cryptic and… threatening message…"

"What did they say?" Zelda enquired.

"Simply put," the ghost continued, "'The goddesses have not forgotten and they seek justice,' is what he said. After that, the Master became more distant than usual and then…" his voice began to shake and he finally bawled out, "Then he tossed us out!" The ghost was obviously unable to go on. So Rayeh continued,

"While nothing was mentioned about _where_ the goddesses would seek their justice, we assumed if the gods were involves it would be a holy place…"

"There are many holy places throughout Hyrule…" Zelda said, trying to sound as sympathetic as she could.

"But surely there must be a place most associated with trials!" the former maid said. The look in her face… it was desperate. She faced Link, "You know what Lord Vaati has done and you know how the goddesses feel about him. Any trial they subject him to would send him to his death! You once called him friend, you must help him!" She seemed almost close to tears and that's what was bothering Link. He hated to see girls cry.

"I was ten when that happened Rayeh…" he started. "I was ten and stupid. We were never friends." When he was younger, he really would've liked to believe that he could call Vaati a friend. But now he looked back on that adventure and really understood everything. On their adventure together they had a dysfunctional alliance, even more when the mage had found his true identity. In the end, things just worked out and Vaati said he wouldn't kill him. They weren't enemies, but they weren't friends either. It was simple as that.

The woman bit her lip and stood down.

"I told you he would be of no use…" he heard Poe mutter to her, but he paid no attention to it.

He felt Zelda tug at his arm. He looked down at her, to see worry in her eyes. "I may not know every single detail of what happened back then… but even if you two aren't friends, you have told me that he's saved your life on more than one occasion. If not to help these two, then do it because you owe him."

She was serious. He succumbed and finally said, "Fine."

Poe grumbled something that he thought he was much better not hearing and Rayeh just sighed in relief and thanked him.

Zelda smiled at him and then faced the other two. "If it's not too much trouble, you'll need to wait until tomorrow before you can set off. I'll find out where exactly it is you need to go tonight."

* * *

Link scowled as he stared up at his ceiling. His first night of officially courting Zelda ruined because he needed to save Vaati's butt from certain doom. After that, Rayeh and Poe took their leave, where he didn't know and didn't really care. Zelda said she had to do her research and that Link might as well get home and rest for the upcoming journey he'd have to make. The night had not gone at all like he thought it would…

Grumbling angrily, he shifted in his bed and pulled his covers closer. He wasn't cold… but holding them so tightly just took some of the stress away. He didn't want to go on another adventure… least of all to save the life of a complete jerkwad. But that wasn't what was really bothering him. What was bothering him was the fact that he'd most likely be very far away from Zelda. Any distance that went beyond the borders of Castle Town was much too far for him. But ever since Ganon had kidnapped her, he had always been a little paranoid about her safety.

He fell into a fitful sleep, waking up more than once throughout the rest of the night causing him even more annoyance. When the morning came, he was irritable and unhappy. Grumpily dressing into his normal clothes, he prepared for the day ahead of him. Rather than actually talking to anyone in his home, he just left a note explaining things to his mother and grandpa. He'd feel guilty for it later, but he was just way too unhappy at the moment to care.

He walked towards the ranch, cursing the sand that dared made its way into his boots. At the ranch, Malon was already up. Link simply told her he was taking Epona out. He'd feel guilty for this too since he never did mention how long he'd be taking her out for.

As he rode the mare through the streets of Castle Town, he couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being followed. Disregarding it as just disorientation from not sleeping well, he kept direction Epona to the Castle. The guards let him through without any problems, probably just very grateful he wasn't speeding through. He rode her out to the stables where he dismounted and let the stable hands take care of her until he would take her when done there.

He asked one of the guards and was told Zelda was in the library. He walked there on his own, despite the guard's protest that he be escorted. In the library, Zelda was hunched over a table filled with books face down on one of the volumes, asleep. He suddenly felt bad for his bad mood. She had been spending the whole night looking through all these books. He walked over to the table and gingerly shook her. She jerked up in a daze and then shook the sleepiness out of herself. He noticed that she hadn't even changed from her ball gown from the night before…

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

She smiled groggily. "Why wouldn't I be?" She yawned, stretched, and rubbed her eyes before saying, "I found the place…"

A shadow jumped up from the table. "It's about time!"

Link scowled. It was Poe. That creepy feeling he had on the way to the Castle… it must've been Poe following him around. "What are you doing here? Zelda told you to wait."

"The Master is in danger and you two are taking your sweet time!" the ghost snapped.

"We only found out about this last night, creep." He answered the ghost, irritation lacing his voice. "You're just lucky we decided to help…"

The ghost stared daggers at Link but said nothing.

"Oh, you two stop it…" Zelda mumbled as she began another large yawn. "Mount Astraea is heavily associated with the goddesses and the trials they rarely conduct… If they keep to tradition then I have no doubt that's where they've taken him…" she said sleepily.

"Mount Astraea? But isn't that mountain also associated with…" he grimaced.

"Evil? Yes, but that is where all the most monumental divine trials were held. Those found guilty were the worst of the worst… When I was looking through the books, I saw mention of a Ganondorf from centuries ago being tried there." she said, sleepily wringing her wrist in the air. "If the goddesses are as angered as you say by him, then he's most definitely there."

Link sighed. He was actually hoping that Zelda hadn't come up with anything but now that she had…

"There's no time for dilly-dallying, where is it exactly!?" Poe rushed. Zelda glared this time, only giving the ghost more reason to rant and rave and not shut up.

It was at that time, Link felt around in the pouch he carried and took out his secret weapon. He uncorked the bottle as quietly as he could and hoped that this rumor he had heard was true. While the apparition kept ranting on about how rude Hyrule's royalty could be, Link quickly swung the bottle into the ghost. At first he thought nothing happened, but then all of the smoky essence of the spirit was sucked into the bottle. He didn't waste time; he corked that bottle as fast as he could. Poe was yelling something at them, but they couldn't hear his high-pitched warbly voice through the walls of his prison.

Zelda more awake just stared at the bottle and its current resident with fascination. "Wow…" she said. "I guess ghosts can't pass through glass after all…"

* * *

THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS! Empty bottles are not just the bane of fairies. They're the bane of poes too! It always kind of disturbed me how you could suck'em down like Red Bulls, though (personally, I prefer Monster... God, I need to get off caffeine). Gross much?

Lawl, I never really did give Poe and Link much interaction before. Since Poe is Vaati's ever faithful slave-erm, I mean servant, I'd figured he might be kind of antagonistic towards Link and just about anyone associated with him.


	3. Mount Astraea

I don't like having a life. It's very... bothersome. Not only did it prevent me from giving you guys that extra chapter (even though this is like... twenty minutes early), but it actually has me getting out of my house. I did a walkathon today... in 90 degree weather. I shudder to think what it would've been like if I hadn't cheated myself out of several laps. D:

ANYWAYS! Onto talking... I like talking!

**fleets**: very, very true... And bottles solve everything! :D And yes... it does begin! WEEE!

**link2832**: You call it shutting up, I call it liking the sound of my own voice (I read my responses out loud :B). As for the timeframe... I never really thought about where these stories would fit in the timeline, but I knew they'd always be after Minish Cap, and both of the Four Swords games. And also... you exploit my anal retentive tendencies right now and for that I congradulate you ( I like to talk...). In Minish Cap, they never really say what age Vaati was. I mean, all the Picori (save for the old ones) look like kids... and they're all adorable. I happen to be of the belief that Vaati was not a child when he betrayed Ezlo. In medieval times, it wasn't uncommon for an apprentice to remain an apprentice in adulthood. Most people got the idea Vaati was a child because he was a kid in the manga, and the manga is far from canonical... but it is cute.

* * *

The journey to the haunted mountain began at noon. He didn't expect it to take more than a day and a half. The mountain did not have a formal path that led to it, but it wasn't too far from Castle Town. Link never did ask Rayeh where she and the ghost were staying, and he wasn't about to release Poe from the bottle to ask. He did manage to find the woman on his own, however, at which point they began the trek to the Mountain of Trials. Out of courtesy, Link let Rayeh ride Epona, keeping the horse calm enough to hold a stranger only by being the one pulling her reigns. As they went, unpleasant thoughts came to him.

Mount Astraea… a mountain said to be haunted by the evil sprits who wished vengeance on those who tried and convicted them. That actually didn't intimidate him. The thought of the goddesses, more specifically, Din, scared him. She was a scary woman and no doubt the main backer in all of this business. The fact that he was going to defy the goddesses by going to Vaati's aid… well, any sane person wouldn't even think of it. And Din was perhaps the most vengeful, or at least seemed it from how he remembered her. His memory could've been off, though. Impressions did change over time…

"Excuse me, Link," it was Rayeh. "Would it be okay to let Poe out now?"

"Oh, yeah." he had completely forgotten about the ghost. He paused for a moment to shuffle through his pouch and pulled out the bottle. The ghost just seethed and glared at him. "Relax, I'm letting you out…" he muttered as he uncorked the bottle. The ghost did not relax. Not at all, as soon as he rushed out he was ranting about the rudeness and cruelness of the situation. Something which Link really didn't understand because he was sure Vaati had probably done worse to him just for the hell of it.

"Poe, please calm down." Rayeh said evenly.

"No! No I will not calm down!" said the outraged specter, his lantern rattling in anger. "Only Master Vaati can treat me in such a manner! This… this _teenager_ cannot! No, he can_not_ I say!"

"Calm down or I'll ask Link to bottle you up again." she voiced the threat in the same tranquil tone, but her eyes narrowed in irritation.

Poe merely huffed in her face. "Don't you get high and mighty with me! Just because Master Vaati keeps you around and you're his favorite doesn't mean I take orders from a disposable woman like you!"

He expected Rayeh to turn sour, but she just stared at the ghost tiredly and said, "Are you finished?"

The ghost made a motion as if he was taking a deep breath and about to say something, but his incorporeal shoulders quickly slackened and his head hung as he just mumbled something.

"You're just gonna to take that?" Link asked, not quite understanding why Rayeh wasn't insulted at all by what the ghost had said to her.

The woman just shrugged. "He's right."

Still a bit baffled, he just tugged on the mare's reigns again and they kept on their way.

It was quiet for the rest of the day, unless you counted Poe's muttering, which he didn't. It became loud when Link suggested they rest for the night; both the specter and the woman protested vehemently. Link didn't give in, though. He was leading their expedition so they had to follow his rules; else he'd leave the two of them right there so he could go back home. After mentioning that, they grudgingly changed their minds. He had to admit, the blind loyalty they had for the wind mage was admirable when it wasn't being senseless. He doubted most soldiers at the Castle swore that much loyalty to the king.

The next morning they continued on, and to Link's irritation Poe started repeatedly asking "Are we there yet?" Eventually, Link just stopped answering him altogether. If the ghost was too stupid to notice a disturbing mountain looming over them, he didn't deserve an answer. It never once occurred to him that the ghost was just trying to get on his nerves.

But the mountain really was looming over them now and the scenery began to change as they walked ever closer to it. The air became dryer and cold and green was becoming an uncommon thing to see. Trees and grass were replaced by stones, gray dirt and dead logs. Epona became jumpier and he had to tighten his grip on the reins just keep her walking somewhat calmly. Link could even some sort of presence… unnatural and otherworldly. It was more presences than a presence. It was like he could feel swirls of spirits and energy flowing around them… and they weren't happy. He looked up at Rayeh on Epona. She had grown a few shades paler and seemed a bit unnerved, but he knew from her expression she would refuse any offer to turn back. He looked at the ghost floating along beside her. If anything, he seemed happier and his lantern was most definitely glowing brighter. Since the barriers of the living and dead were so distorted here, it probably gave things like Poe, creatures who were neither truly alive nor truly dead, a boost in whatever energy they fed off of.

Finally, they came to the base of the mountain.

"What now?" Rayeh asked with her voice slightly shaky.

Link held up his hand in gesture to wait. He scaled the mountain with his eyes as best he could. Like most other mountains, giant rocks jutted out from the slanted mountainside at random intervals. But, sticking with its surroundings, no plants grew on it. His eyes went back and forth, trying to find some clue that told them this was where they were supposed to be.

He found it.

It took him a while to catch it simply because he hadn't encountered anything like this for a long while. A smooth, clear path went up the slant of the mountain. As his eyes followed the path, they found a cave.

"Why are we still standing around?" Poe asked impatiently. "What are you looking at!? We need to go now!"

Link ignored him. He was looking at where they were going; the other two just couldn't see it. He shouldn't have been able to see it either. The only reason he could see this path was because the magical hat made from the fibers of the Great Deku Tree was apparently made as one size fits all. He still wore it on a daily basis, and while it wasn't as green as it once was, it meant a lot to him.

Then, a threatening female voice made its presence known. "I was wondering when you would arrive."

Link pivoted around quickly and saw a tall, lean woman leaning against one of the rocky walls. She had darkened skin and short, fiery red hair. And despite the fact that she had an evil look on her face, she was immensely beautiful. He heard Rayeh mumble a few words of awe as she recognized this woman, despite never having met her. Poe just remained quiet, probably out of fear. And the ghost had every right to be afraid. Link had certainly never forgotten her because of fear.

"But you Link, I am surprised they managed to drag you into this." Din said. She shrugged and continued, "I don't know why, though. I should have expected as much."

But before Link could say anything Rayeh cried out, "Please release Lord Vaati!"

Din gave her a very ugly look. "Disgraced woman, speak not to me! I refuse to associate with anything involved with that creature-_especially_ his consort!" she spat.

The former maid winced, but said nothing. Instead she turned to Poe, giving the specter a pleading look as if to back her up. But the ghost didn't even acknowledge her presence. He just stared straight at the goddess, eyeing her warily.

"You let him off before, why start it again?" Link asked.

The goddess returned her attention to him and sneered, "Did you honestly think we could forget everything he has done? The only one who has done more harm than him is the holder of my power! To let him remain on this earth is a crime unto itself!"

As she said all that, realization dawned on Link. "You brought it up again." he said, his voice having an air of disbelief and disgust at the same time. "You convinced your sisters to do this whole thing just because you couldn't stand not having it your way."

The goddess smirked, "Maybe so, but what I said was all correct."

"Your trial's going to be a load of bull then." Link said. "None of you like him; it isn't going to be fair. Not saying that he isn't guilty, but it isn't right."

"Life isn't fair." the goddess replied. He thought that would've ended it but then she added, "Unless… you would like to try and make it fair?"

He forked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Din began to pace, seeming to let her thoughts gather in her head. "My proposal is simple: You be in charge of defending the sorcerer. If you by some strange twist in fate succeed… we, being myself and my sisters, will not directly interfere with his affairs. If you do not succeed… Well…" she simply chuckled a bit.

"Well what?" Link didn't bother to hide his annoyance.

"Well… I'll make sure he dies a very slow, miserable, humiliating death." As she had said it, she had a gleam in her eyes. A gleam that said she already knew what she had planned.

He didn't like Vaati, but Zelda was right when she said that he owed the mage. At the same time, he knew Din was just coming up with a game. There was no possible way he could defend Vaati in a trial and win. He _was_ guilty of just about everything the goddesses charged him with and even if he wasn't, they were the _goddesses_. They held the most influence over any of the minor gods and spirits that would be a part of this trial. He was about to refuse the goddess's offer, but he felt a hand wrap around his arm. Rayeh looked down at him from Epona, eyes pleading. And from behind the former maid, he could see Poe glancing at him. He also looked a bit desperate, if not a bit embarrassed. Looking up at the two, the clockwork in his brain started to turn again. They depended on the mage. To them, Vaati was everything.

He scowled and directed his attention to Din. "Fine. We have a deal."

Then, the red goddess did something unexpected. She gave him a perky smile. "Excellent! I knew it was a good idea to hold the trial off for a few days!" she began to walk ahead onto the unseen path, gesturing for them to follow.

_I knew it_, he thought as he tugged on Epona's reins, _She counted on all of this happening._ The goddess had played him like a professional musician on a piano. He cursed himself in his mind and the two behind him questioned where they were going. He ignored them, even after they had passed through into the mountain. He just continued to ignore them as they went deeper into the mountain until the goddess held a hand up to stop them. At that point, he helped Rayeh down from the mare.

An androgynous glittering person came and took the reins from Link. He was going to object but Din assured him that the person would take care of Epona. He reluctantly relinquished the reins. Din took the lead again and led them through a winding path. Despite the fact they were in a mountain, the strange halls were lit despite no seen form of lighting.

"What's that sound?" Rayeh asked nervously.

"What sou…." he never finished the question because he began to hear it as well. As they kept walking down the seemingly endless hall, the sound of laughter-insane, maniacal laughter-grew louder and louder.

"The sound is the result of that goddess's lack of anger management." Link heard Poe hiss. It was almost startling to hear the ghost speak because he had been silent so long. He glanced back at the specter and wondered how Din wasn't getting a hole in the back of her head from the burning hate directed at her from the ghost. A second look at the goddess told him she was either feeling that hole forming or something was bothering her. A lot.

Din led them to a circular chamber, most likely the main chamber inside of the mountain. An open doorway was straight ahead, and there were several other doors on the walls. The red goddess turned on her heel and faced them all. She pointed at Rayeh and Poe, "You grunts stay here." She looked over to Link, "You come with me." Rayeh seemed somewhat annoyed by the goddess's order but did nothing. Poe had no reaction. He just continued to glare at Din.

Nothing else needing to be said, the goddess went to one of the doors and Link stayed close behind. As the door opened and closed, the laughter was louder. They were in another hallway and this one had rows of doors on both sides of it. Din stopped in front of a door in the middle of the hall. He knew the crazed laughter came from in there. The goddess rapped her knuckles against the heavy wooden door.

"Cease. He has a visitor." she said sharply.

"What?" he heard a familiar voice say from behind the door, "Over already? But the fun was just beginning!"

Link put a hand on his forehead. That comment alone told him that the failure looming ahead of him definitely had no chance of being wrong.

The door opened and two more of the androgynous looking persons came out, expressions of baffled anger on their faces. He noted they carried various… implements… that would cause very great discomfort. They walked away and Link looked back at Din, who cocked her head towards the door telling him to go in. He grudgingly entered and had the door close behind him.

The room was small and spatters of blood stained the walls and floor. Having a giggle fit on the floor was Vaati. He looked the same, save for longer hair and bruising from the torture that he was no doubt getting on a daily basis. When the mage finished his crazy cackling, he sat up straight and wiped the blood from his lip. He regained some of his composure and glanced up at Link with a poker face.

"This must be their new form of torture." said the wind mage.

"You still have a lousy taste of humor." Link said flatly.

* * *

Lol, Din's a bitch.

And here Vaati makes his first appearance... It may not be very glamorous, but yay! We finally get to the most important character of the story!

Link: Hey!

Oh... whoops. Sorry Link!


	4. Twisted Mind

HOMYGAWD. Well, my having a life seems to have slackened a bit. Now I'm spending all my time watching Yu-Gi-Oh! episodes. Oh childhood, I look back on you now and you're so corny and stupid... yet I still love it. D:

Anyways, I don't believe I mentioned the length of this story. Unlike it's predecessor it won't be obscenely long. No, this is probably going to be short compared to that one. It's fine with me. :3

**Okami-Raen**: Hell yeah. XD

**fleets**: Even if Link did understand what was funny, I don't think he'd laugh. And actually, all the characters are equally important... I only just really care about Vaati. XD

**link2832**: I actually feel bad for making Din the big, bad bitch too...

**Legend of Zelda 4 life**: Thanks.

Now I'mma gonna go back to watching the show where everyone's fate is dependent on children's card games...

* * *

The mage laughed, this time it didn't sound completely crazy. It was a real laugh. "Only because you don't lighten up." He said as his laugh died down. Then his expression change to a serious one, "Now why are you here?"

"Rayeh and Poe dragged me along in their search for you." The teenager told the mage.

The sorcerer scoffed, "Idiots."

Link forked an eyebrow. "Why are they idiots? They care about you. You should've heard the shrieking that Poe was doing when I refused at first." he said.

"They're idiots because I told them I never wanted to see their faces again! Yet they come looking for me when I told them to stay away! I repeat: idiots." Vaati said, growing increasingly annoyed with each statement.

Link gave him a flat look. "Any grasp of emotion is beyond you, isn't it?"

"If you say so." the mage shrugged.

It was quiet for a moment before Link asked, "The laughing earlier…. What was that about?"

Vaati grinned evilly. "They don't seem to like it when you laugh instead of scream and while the process isn't enjoyable, the result is magnificent."

"So you like to piss them off? Okay, I get it." Link didn't really get it but he knew the mage did like to get on people's nerves. "Why are they torturing you? And why are you letting them?"

"Innocent until proven guilty doesn't apply here; and the fact that I _am_ guilty doesn't help. And after a few incidences of me not cooperating… they sealed off my magic…" said the mage warily. "Why are you so curious?"

"Din conned me. I have to help you." Link said simply. At least he didn't have to worry about angering the mage now.

A look of interest came upon the mage's expression. "Really now? You're completely aware that I will be found guilty, no matter what you do?"

The teen nodded grimly. "Yeah…"

At that moment, his inventory pouch began to shake and he heard, "It's not completely hopeless."

"Well, seems you brought a stowaway." said Vaati. "Go ahead take it out, let's see what your princess has to say."

"Zelda? But how…" he didn't finish, he just shuffled through his pouch, eventually pulling out a strange stone that he'd never seen before. It had a strange glow about it and he was sure there must've been every color of the rainbow in that small stone.

It shuddered as Zelda's voice rang out from it, "I hope you don't mind, Link. I stuck this in your pouch before you left! I thought you might need some help."

He gaped at the stone in his hand. "How's this… how are you…?"

"It's a gossip stone," Vaati answered for her, "This one is a specialty of the royal family. Princess, you could get in a lot of trouble for sneaking one of those into your little boyfriend's pocket."

"I know…" Link heard worry in Zelda's voice, "But if Link needs me, I won't hesitate to help. And you both need my help. Even the worst cases can have an out somewhere."

"But Zelda…" Link started, "Every one of the gods hates Vaati, and even if they don't, Din will convince them otherwise."

The stone was quiet and Link knew Zelda was thinking the situation through. After a moment she finally spoke, "Vaati, are you aware of how these trials work?"

"Yes, I'll be honest and say this is not my first one." said the mage.

"I need you to explain everything you know to Link and myself. If we stand any chance of trying to win this, we need to know how it works." she said.

And so, Vaati explained what he remembered ("It's been a few centuries," he said, "I might be a bit off on the details."). In his last trial, Nayru was the judge since she was the goddess of law. Despite everything, she remained unbiased until the very end. Din was the main attacker, explaining everything he had done with great detail and even calling on gods and spirits that he had offended-including Venus, the Fairy Queen. Farore, he recalled, did not do much of anything. The other gods and spirits that attended the trial acted as a jury and Din had done her job well enough to convict Vaati. After that, the goddesses acted as executioner and cursed him.

When he had finished, there was a silence from the gossip stone. No doubt Zelda was thinking things through again. Then she said, "I see… I will see if I can find anything more on these trials in the library. Until then, Link, try to stall things as much as you can." And then the gossip stone ceased its glowing.

Link just gave a miserable sigh and stared at the strange stone in his hand.

"Don't give the stone that look, it's the messenger." he heard Vaati joke.

He scowled at the mage. "It's none of your business…"

"Actually, if she's helping you on the impossible venture to rescue me, it is." said the wind mage.

Growling something inappropriate, he got up and went for the door. "I'll come back when Zelda's got her information."

The sorcerer just rolled his eyes and grimaced, "Oooh, fun time again."

Link shrugged. "Sorry," and then he opened the door and closed it behind him.

"Productive?" he heard Din ask. She was still in her spot, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She had condescending smile on.

"You could say that." he told her, making sure to put on his most nasty looking glare.

Din ignored the glare. "I hope it was," she began as she pushed herself off the wall and started to walk past Link, "Because you only have two days until the trial starts."

Two days? He gritted his teeth. Zelda would surely get the information she needed before that, it was actually applying any information that would be the trouble. When Vaati explained the trial as he remembered it, he mentioned other gods and spirits… Link had no doubts in his mind that these were the worst kinds of foes one could ever go up against because the chances of winning were almost nil: politicians. Even the gods had their forms of politics and he was sure they were probably going to be more complicated than regular politics.

Feeling stressed and extremely stupid for falling into Din's trap, he went back to the main room where Poe and Rayeh waited. As soon as they caught sight of him they rushed towards him.

"How is he?" Rayeh asked worriedly.

"They're torturing him, but he seems fine. If anything, he seems to be having fun with it." Link said, trying to sound a little cheerful. But he knew the woman was still worried.

Poe just looked outraged. "They're _torturing_ Master Vaati?! The insolence of these foul gods! How dare they?!" He then wizzed over to a wall, probably to go find Vaati, but crashed into it.

Both Link and Rayeh tried not to seem completely baffled. Poe attempted to go through the wall again, but only crashed. Again and again the ghost tried, but he could not get through the wall. In a panic, he rushed over to a different wall and tried there only to meet with the same results.

"I… I can't…" the ghost finished with a wail and sunk down to the floor. Link almost thought he'd sink through, but he actually stopped when he hit the floor. The specter wailed louder as he felt the floor beneath him. "These gods are fiends!" he cried out. "Fiends, I say!"

"Why can't he phase through the walls?" Rayeh asked.

Link shook his head; he didn't know. Poe was most certainly still dead. He was ghost, no doubts about that, but it was like all the things that made him a ghost (aside from appearance) didn't apply here. He didn't get it. When they were outside, Poe seemed livelier, for lack of a better word, but _inside_ the mountain…

He just looked around the room. These weren't natural caverns. The stones were all placed in specific patterns, the lighting (as he had noticed before) was unexplainable, and the walls were white; just pure white. What was this place exactly?

A crowd of the strange glittering people started to gather to watch the wailing ghost. Link nudged Rayeh and told her to calm him down. She did so.

Now really unnerved by everything, he and the two who followed him there retreated outside the mountain. Poe, still shaken and unstable said nothing, a feat which Link almost thought was impossible. Rayeh stayed by the ghost's side, trying to make him feel better.

Outside, Poe's lantern lit up brightly with its ghostlight and the feeling of foreboding came back. They didn't stray too far from the cavern entrance, as they'd need to return there when Zelda got back to Link, but he almost wished he could stay away from it. While inside the mountain felt normal and almost peaceful… it didn't feel right. Outside of it felt right despite the fact it was scary as all hell. He wasn't sure why it was like that, but that's just how it was. He worried about Epona, but he was willing to take Din's word that she was fine. After all, the goddess didn't have a grudge on the horse.

They stayed outside until it became dark, no one saying a word. Link just made a fire and they all listened to the crackling of the flames. No one made any comments about food and no one thought about it. Snapping out of the daze once, Link could have sworn that he once caught Rayeh crying, but she hid it well. Poe just floated back and forth with the almost nonexistent breeze.

The hours passed, and despite the overwhelming amount of stress and confusion going on in his brain, Link had no desire to sleep. Rayeh had while hugging her legs. He wasn't sure about Poe. While the specter's red eyes couldn't be seen since the hood covered most of his incorporeal face, he wasn't too sure that ghosts slept. It was proven when the ghost wafted over next to Link.

"I never thanked you properly for helping us…" the ghost mumbled.

It took a moment for the words to register in his head. Up until that point, the ghost had only shown great dislike for him. "What was that?"

"I never thanked you for helping us." the ghost said louder. "And I'm sorry for being so rude…"

He just blinked in surprise. "Um, apology accepted?"

"It's just that for a long time you've been Master Vaati's most hated adversary… And now you're an ally. It's a bit strange, I'm not used to it…" the ghost said.

"Um, no offense, but why are you so loyal to him?" Link asked.

"Master Vaati is the only person I've found worthwhile in my whole life. He's the only one who was able to inspire me in my life." Poe said simply.

Link remained silent for a second before saying, "He treats you like crap."

A sparkle came into the ghost's eyes as he said, "I know, isn't it great?"

He didn't even want to try and understand how being treated like dirt was great.

The specter chuckled and then said, "I know, I'm the only one who seems to feel that way about it… It makes me wonder how Lady Rayeh stands it…"

That last bit caught Link's attention. "Stand what?"

Poe remained quiet, a thoughtful look coming over his ghostly face. "Well… What I said before… about her being disposable… the truth is, Master Vaati's gotten tired of her. He's actually been planning to get rid of her for a while now… I know she knows it, too. It's too bad, really, I do like her…"

Once again, things Link couldn't understand. He was about to say something but Poe already seem to know what he was going to say.

"You must understand that there is no love within their relationship-at least, not from the Master's side."

Link just looked at the sleeping ex-maid, trying to figure out what made her have such loyalty to Vaati. If she knew that the mage only thought of her as a play thing… why did she stay with him?

"Why is she so desperate to save him?" He was actually thinking aloud but he received an answer anyway.

"I think," Poe started, "I think she feels it's her duty to help him as her last act of loyalty."


	5. Dangers of the Night

I was really close to not updating at all today.

**Legend of Zelda 4 life:** I'm glad it gave you a chuckle or two. :D

**fleets:** I didn't lie when I said this story would be much darker.

* * *

"Princess Zelda, you have been in the library for hours! I must insist you retire for the night!" said Zelda's handmaid, Lorsa.

Irritable from lack of sleep and being constantly pestered by Lorsa, she slammed the book she had crammed into her face down on the table. "I must do my part to help Link! Without me he couldn't figure out how to do any of this!"

"But Your Highness," Lorsa protested, "Surely, even Link wouldn't want you to work so hard on his behalf!"

"You go to bed if you'd like but I must find something to help him. Nothing you say can change my mind." she said sternly.

Her attendant bit her lip but shuffled out of the room in defeat. Good riddance, she thought. Lorsa's intentions were good but she could be such a bother! She returned her attention back to the book she had been perusing through and then immediately shut it. She'd been through most of it and she already knew it had nothing of importance in it. Placing it in a pile of other books of no use, she got up and went back to the shelves of the library. She climbed the ladder so she could get to the older books. Sliding the ladder a bit, she let her fingers brush against the spines of the books. Seeing a title that may have been useful, she pulled the book from the shelf and lowered herself from the ladder. She made her way back to the table and opened up the book with a deep sigh to once again look for any clues.

Using her hand to hold up her head, she flipped through the pages with the other. She yawned and, as she did so, noticed how heavy her eyelids felt. She shook her head to try and wake herself up a bit more but found herself drifting off. She wondered if Link was okay. Having a goddess for an enemy was definitely not a good thing. She really wanted to help him, so doing this was the only thing she could do. Her father would most definitely never let her leave Castle Town. It was hard enough to convince him to let her leave the castle… She still would have loved to go with him if she could. But even if she could, all her resources were in the library. No matter which way she looked at it, she had to stay there.

Her candle began to flicker, darkening the room. Muttering something inappropriate for a princess to say, she felt around for a drawer on the table. She opened up a drawer and felt around for another candle. Lighting the new candle quickly before the old one flickered out; she placed the new candle in the holder and went back to the book.

The page she was on held exactly what she needed.

Suddenly brimming with some energy, she fumbled around the desk and began to look frantically for the gossip stone. She scowled and cursed some more, hoping that no one was up late and walking the halls. Throwing aside some books in an awkward pile, she pulled out the stone. Smiling and feeling almost giddy at the prospect of speaking to Link again, she mumbled the short incantation of the magical stone.

"Link!" she called out to the stone, "Link, I have something!"

She heard a mumble from her stone, something about being the middle of the night. She winced, remembering that most normal people would probably be asleep that deep in the night.

"Sorry," she said apologetically, "But I found something that can really help!"

"Okay… it can't wait until later?" Link's voice groaned from the stone.

She paused for a moment. "I never thought of that… But since you are up now," she heard a protesting mumble but ignored it, "Link, the trials are different there than they are here! Divine trials are more… open, you can say."

"Open?" Link asked.

"Yes," she said, looking through her book, "It says here that both sides can freely manipulate the onlookers!"

It was quiet for a moment. She could almost imagine Link seething-she could feel it through the stone. Before he could say anything, she jumped in again,

"Listen, Vaati said that the gods served like a jury. It's majority rule! Nayru may be the goddess of law but I'm sure even she knows that chaos may break out if the majority doesn't get their way! You need to pressure the goddesses in order to win!" she explained.

There was another moment of silence. She wondered if he had fallen asleep while she said that but was reassure when he finally answered, "That's crazy."

"It's not that cra-"

"Everyone hates him. I've told you this before." he said, "Saying it and doing it are completely different!"

She made a face at the stone, hoping her glare made its way into Link's mind, despite the fact they couldn't see each other. "Right now, it's the only chance you have! Besides… I think Din has something in store for you if you lose."

"I know…"

It was quiet again.

"Sorry for waking you." Zelda finally said, "I'll contact you again if I find anything else." She then released the spell on the stone, ceasing its ethereal glow.

"I'll keep looking for information…" she thought out loud, "But first… I'll get some sleep." Then she nestled her head in her arms and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

It was never going to work. Zelda was smart, and Link was grateful that she was doing so much… but it was never going to work.

"You don't think what she said will work." said Rayeh. He didn't know how long she had been awake but she had probably been up long enough to hear the whole conversation between him and Zelda.

He sighed, not quite sure how to answer her. To say it was true would make him sound like a jerk, but he didn't want to give her false hope, either. "Do you think it will?"

She had a poker face on. He couldn't tell what she was thinking at all. "No," she finally answered, "No, I don't think it'll work. I know just as well as you do that this venture is hopeless."

"You and Poe are weird." Link grumbled.

"Where is Poe?" Rayeh asked.

That caught him of guard. He looked around the fire but saw no sign of the ghost. Even the strange ghostlight of his lantern couldn't be seen. "I don't know." he said.

"He wouldn't just leave…" the ex-maid said worriedly.

"A nutball like him? No, he wouldn't." the teenager agreed. He stood up and glanced around, trying to find something that hinted of the ghost's presence.

"Where could he have floated off to?" he heard Rayeh mutter.

"Trying to see Vaati, maybe?" Link said with a shrug. He already knew that suggestion was flawed, though. The chances of Poe rushing off back to the strange inside of the mountain alone didn't seem quite right. At that thought, he realized he probably should have asked Zelda about that. But that was a question for another time, he supposed. At the moment, he had to find a missing ghost.

"I think… there's something over there." he heard Rayeh say. He looked over and saw she was pointing to an area of darkness. But within the darkness were strange specks of light floating and swaying in an apparent breeze. They almost looked like the ghostlight of poe lanterns.

He put a hand on the hilt of his sword and glanced back at Rayeh and said, "Stay close."

Then he took the lead towards the lights. They made as little noise as possible but even when a twig made a loud crack, the lights did not veer from their strange swaying pattern. As they got closer, the lights became brighter and he saw that these just weren't strange floating lights. They looked almost like a strange, blue flames and… and they gave off feelings of dread.

"What are they…?" Link asked as he released his grip from the hilt of his sword.

"Spirits…" Rayeh said.

"Spirits…? But why are they so… creepy?" he said with a shudder.

"The spirits around this mountain are evil and vengeful; it's only natural that they give off such strong feelings of hatred…" she explained, her voice slightly shaky.

"Maybe we should leave them alone…" Link said, taking a step back.

"Wait, no!" Rayeh said, grabbing Link's arm. She pointed towards the lights, "Look!"

He looked over back to the lights. In the middle of the swaying was Poe, himself not moving. Really hoping that this was all one bad dream, he took a step forward.

"Poe," he called out as quietly as he could. The ghost did not even seem to hear him. "Poe, snap out of it." No response.

"Poe, please come back here." Rayeh said nervously.

Nothing happened. Link thought about moving forward again but he really didn't want to get near the spirits. Rayeh made no motion to push him to do it.

Then the spirits froze. The frozen spirits seemed to be glaring right at Link and Rayeh, causing them to freeze. Neither one even breathed as the spirits just seemed to glare at them. Before they could run away screaming back to the safety of the fire, the spirits began to flail around wildly and then disappear, leaving just Poe and the two humans in the area. The ghost still made no movement.

"Poe…" Rayeh squeaked.

The specter's hood shifted so his red eyes stared straight at the two. Despite the fact that his eyes were just red shapes in an incorporeal face, they seemed devoid of the ghost's spirit.

**"We are not the one you call Poe."** It was like a thousand different voices came from Poe.

They flinched and Link made for his sword again. "Who are you?" he asked, failing in his attempt not to sound scared.

**"We are the spirits doomed to surround this mountain for the rest of our immortal non-lives. Mortals are not welcome in this place."** said the creatures inside of Poe.

"What are you doing with Poe?" Link asked. He knew his legs were shaking.

**"We are devoid of bodies of any kind. Because of that we cannot truly show the gods our rage. This body was most appropriate because it contains none of the limitations of a body of flesh, yet it is not truly a spirit. Of course, now we must test the limitations of this body…"** the creatures inside of Poe made the ghost look threatening-a sight which Link was sure would haunt him in his nightmares if he survived.

And judging from the situation, Link was very afraid that his life would be cut short…


	6. Predetermined

I never kept track of when October was ending, so I never realized that I wouldn't be able to update this Sunday. Leaving you guys with a cliffhanger for a month didn't rest well with my conscience. So trick or treat guys, you're getting a treat! Happy Halloween, and see you in December!

And for those of you that don't know, there will be no updates November due to NaNoWriMo. I'm a participant, so I'll have no time to write this or anything else...

* * *

There were two major glaring problems at the moment. The first was that he was dealing with a ghost. He didn't know how to deal with no ghosts, especially possessed ghosts… And how was that even possible?! The second, he had protect Rayeh. He was beginning to regret taking her away from the fire just for this. But fighting something you didn't know how to fight and protecting someone from said thing he didn't know how to fight left him with a lot of pressure… And then there was Poe; if he did manage to expel the spirits from Poe, would he be alright?

Before he could put any further thought into the situation, Poe's body disappeared. Link stepped back a bit, looking around frantically.

"Don't panic," he heard Rayeh say, "Look for a lantern, that is the only thing he can't block from our sight!"

"I'm still not seeing a lantern…" Link told her, not bothering to hide his panic.

A sinister series of simultaneous laughs then came from above them. A lantern with no visible holder was heading straight for them. Both Link and Rayeh split in opposite directions; Poe decided to reappear and follow Link.

He certainly wasn't screaming because he was terrified. He was screaming because he really wished he hadn't put the Master Sword back all those years ago. _The Blade of _Evil's Bane_ would be really handy right about now…_

The creatures guided Poe right in front of Link. A look of insane glee came upon the ghost's face as he charged right towards Link. Expecting the possessed specter to invade his material body, he braced himself for the worst. But instead of feeling some form of strangeness, he heard hisses. Opening his eyes confusedly, he saw that the ghost was hissing at him.

**"He is protected! We cannot harm him!" **it scowled to itself. Link breathed a sigh of relief but quickly took it back when the possessed ghost grinned evilly. **"There is another! She is not protected!" **And it shot towards Rayeh.

He turned as quickly as he could to try and catch the ghost but he couldn't. By the time he turned full circle it was too far away, heading right for the ex-maid who had eyes wide with fear. He cursed himself for being so slow…

A brilliant flash of green light erupted through the area. The simultaneous voices of the spirits all screeched with rage. There was more light, this time being the strange blue flames of spirits bursting forth from Poe. The ghost looked slightly dazed and sunk to the floor. Link just squinted, trying to see through all the after images of the lights. What had happened?

"The sorcerer's consort is fine, as well his dead servant." he shuddered at the voice. He recognized it as the complete opposite of Din's: gentle, caring, almost maternal. He blinked away his after images and saw Farore standing there by Rayeh. She still looked as beautiful as before, in her motherly sort of way. The only thing that seemed different was that she was shorter than before, or rather he had grown.

"It is not safe for you to be out here." she continued.

Link ignored her for the moment and rushed over to Poe. The hooded specter just floated around awkwardly, like he had just woken up and had no idea where he was… well… that probably was what happened. "Are you okay?" Link asked.

Poe mumbled something about daisies. Taking that as a sign that he was fine, save for some slight memory loss, he looked over to where the two ladies were standing. Rayeh looked extremely relieved and the goddess looked a tad irked.

"Sorry…" he muttered to her.

"As I said before, it is not safe outside." Farore said, "I insist you and your companions come back inside."

"No!" screeched Poe, suddenly coming back to reality, "I refuse! That place is… is unholy!"

The green goddess chuckled and shook her head, "No, it is unholy out here. Inside it is simply too holy for the likes of you-for all of you."

"Too holy?" all of them repeated.

The goddess nodded, "Outside of the mountain is evil, but inside it is holy. Evil holds no power there. This is why I insist you come inside with me."

"I still refuse!" Poe said adamantly.

"If you don't you'll be possessed again!" Rayeh snapped.

The ghost was going to object but when he found he had nothing to say back to it, grumbled in defeat.

Farore led the way back into the mountain. Poe cursed as he became more solid as they passed deeper inside but there was no other noise. They had made it back into the main chamber and Link was surprised he saw none of the glittering people. The chamber was filled with them before but now they had all vanished. He felt a shiver crawl up his spine and he decided not to think further on the subject. As Farore said, this place was too holy for the likes of people in general. Of course there were going to be things he didn't understand…

The goddess titled her head towards the lady of their group. "What is your name?"

Startled, the ex-maid looked down to her toes seeming almost guilt-ridden, "Rayeh…"

"Rayeh, you have nothing to fear from me." said the green goddess with a gentle smile. Then she glanced at Poe, giving him the same smile, "Nor do you."

Rayeh smiled a grateful smile, but Poe wasn't so convinced. He floated curiously around the goddess and finally said, "Why so kind to us? I'm not only loyal to Master Vaati, but I'm also an abomination unto everything you strove to create… And Lady Rayeh…" the ghost paused as he caught the ex-maid blushing deeply, "I think you know her ties to Master Vaati…"

"Since you are under Link's protection, you are under mine." Farore replied simply. "Speaking of Link, I hope you do not mind if I would speak with him privately now."

"Not at all." Rayeh said. "Just please don't go too far… I feel… unsafe here."

Farore nodded and went to the other side of the room, Link following. He caught Poe saying something to Rayeh, which she chuckled at. Somehow, he had a feeling it was about him. When the goddess stopped, so did Link.

"What is it?"

"I suppose you need no explanation of the danger you are going through by doing this?" Farore said.

Link shook his head grimly, "No, I remind myself every five minutes…"

"Very well then," the goddess said, "I came to warn you of Din's treachery."

"Don't worry about that," Link said, blowing it off as if it was nothing, "I know she's going to turn all the gods against us."

Farore's expression was amused… Getting that look from a goddess made Link feel very stupid. "Yes, but there is more." She went back to looking grim, "There is more at stake than just the sorcerer's life."

"More?" he squeaked. He didn't like that word as much as he used to. Nowadays, more meant that bad things were coming.

The goddess nodded. "Yes… it had not been made final but-"

"Oh, sister! They you are!" it was a sharp, unfriendly voice… Din. The red goddess looked to the green one with a flash of her teeth, looking almost pleasant. Anyone who didn't know what the goddess was really like would've thought she was being friendly, but everyone who was watching the situation probably knew better. "Along with Link! Just the two people I need to see…"

Farore narrowed her eyes at Din but said nothing.

"What do you need us for?" Link asked bitterly.

"So hostile…" Din started with a mock expression of sadness, "But Nayru wishes for us all to be present in her announcement." She glanced over at Rayeh and Poe, "But us means minus them. So let's go."

Link thought of going to tell them what was going on, but Din snapped at him for being slow. Gritting his teeth angrily, he followed the red and green goddesses while throwing an apologizing look to the two he needed to leave so quickly.

Din walked briskly into the open doorway before them, her sister and Link following behind at their own paces. The room wasn't what he had expected he admitted. It almost reminded him of the trial room in the castle, but he hadn't been there often so he couldn't make an accurate guess of how alike they were. He just knew that wherever the defendant was, they would feel awfully small… He felt the ever growing knot in his stomach get tighter as he remembered he'd probably have to be near the defendant here. The red goddess led them to a door on the right end of the room and went through. They followed.

This room was much smaller, only containing a small bookshelf and desk. At the desk was Nayru, blue and beautiful with her ever serious face.

"I brought them just like you asked, sister." Din said as sweetly as she could muster. It made Link want to gag.

The blue goddess nodded. "The trial begins the day after tomorrow. Are you prepared, Link?"

The teenager nodded, "As ready as I'll ever be." In actuality, he really had no idea what he was getting into… but nobody needed to know that…

"Good." Nayru said, "We will speak of the sentencing, then."

He panicked, "Sentencing? But, the trial hasn't even started so how can that be decided?!" he said frantically.

The blue goddess, always expressionless, answered, "Sentencing is always predetermined."

"Why? We already know what the sorcerer's sentence will be." Din said almost bored.

"But we have not discussed what will happen if he is found innocent." Farore put in.

The red goddess's face flared with anger for just a split moment before returning to a fake sweet one. "He will _not_be found innocent." she said. She then dropped the sweet look and turned it into a smug one… staring right at Link. "Besides, shouldn't we tell handsome here his part when we carry out the sentencing?"

"No!" Farore quickly said, "No, you said you wouldn't!"

Din shrugged and said, "I lied."

"Wait, what's going on?" Link finally asked. He wasn't understanding anything at all.

Farore bit her lip and after a brief moment told him, "If the sorcerer is found guilty… he will be sentenced to death."

"A slow, tortuous death." Din added almost giddily.

The green goddess shot a look at her sister before continuing, "The killing blow, however, will not be done any of us… but you."

It took him a moment to fully register what his patron goddess had just said, "… _I_ have to kill him…?" His voice came out a bit more squeakily than he would've liked.

"You slay monsters all the time, why should this e any different?" said Din.

"What if I refuse?" Link asked.

"The sorcerer will be found guilty immediately, without need for trial." Nayru said. "Accept the responsibility or do not."

He felt like screaming. He didn't like Vaati, but he had traveled with him had a bond with him… in a very dysfunctional kind of way, he called the mage a friend when he wasn't angry at him. What the goddesses were asking him to do here… kill one of his own friends if he was found guilty… He shot a very angry glare at Din. No doubt she had thought this entire thing up just to get back at both him and Vaati.

"Well, are you going to give up?" Din asked.

"No." Link spat. "No, I'm not. I'll get him found innocent."

The red goddess frowned but said nothing more.

After that it was quiet, with no signs of anyone about to interrupt it, until the sound of a bell rang through the mountain. Link wasn't sure how. He'd never seen any sort of bell in or outside of the mountain… but it was shaking the very foundation of the mountain. Dust fell from the cracks in the ceiling, the walls were vibrating…

"What's happening?" Link asked.

Farore stared up at the ceiling with an expression as undeterminable as Nayru's. "The first of the lesser gods has arrived."


	7. The First Arrivals

I managed to get it up today! Yay! I still have a huge headache... D: Anyways, for those who don't know, I won NaNoWriMo, update schedule is to proceed as normal. Chapter's a little short but NaNo has worn me down a bit. Hopefully I'll be better, both in health and writing, by next time.

* * *

Lesser gods… He'd heard of them when he was younger but he always thought they were just stories. The types of things that parents told their children in order to behave. He had no idea what to expect, honestly. He really didn't remember any of the stories he had been told when he was young, his mother had been missing a good chunk of the time and his grandfather wasn't exactly the type to scare a child by telling them stories…

No… no, he'd use violence…

He pushed that thought away, it wasn't exactly something he liked to think about.

Instead he focused on what these gods would be like. At that moment, he and the goddesses were on their way back to the main chamber to greet the god that had arrived.

There wasn't anyone there, except for Rayeh and Poe who seemed really confused.

The former maid spotted Link and came towards him while asking worriedly, "What was that?"

"None of your business," snapped Din.

A tinge of anger appeared on Rayeh's face but she said nothing. Poe, on the other hand, did have a bit more courage.

"We weren't asking you, you bitter excuse for a goddess!" the ghost snapped.

The red goddess almost exploded but a quick gust of wind flew around the room. In any other situation, Link might've thought it was Vaati but he knew it wasn't the mage since he was "incapacitated" at the moment.

Instead, there was a giant green frog on a cloud.

"Now, now, no need for violence here." said the frog.

Link, Rayeh, and Poe just stared at it. It was giant, on a cloud, _and_ it could talk.

"A little violence every now and again doesn't hurt anybody." said another giant frog on a cloud. The only difference between that one and the one that had spoken first was that this one was red.

"Zephos, Cyclos," Nayru said, nodding her head in acknowledgement.

"Uh…" Link managed to say.

The two frogs looked over his way, as if they had just noticed him. Farore then stepped in,

"Link, these are the wind gods, Zephos and Cyclos."

"Ah…" he just nodded and smiled nervously. Did all lesser gods look so strange?

"Ah, so you're Link!" said Zephos, his cloud floating nearer and nearer towards him. "Yes, I've heard a lot about you. Heard you defeated that Ganondorf man, nasty fellow that one. Glad you're always there to fix it!"

"Um… thank you?" he said.

"You're very welcome! But if you don't mind my asking," Zephos said, "What brings you here, and with such odd company?"

"He's defending the sorcerer." Din said flatly. "The other two are the scum's followers."

"Really, now…" this time it was Cyclos who spoke and his own cloud came nearer to Link. "An unexpected turn of events. You, of all people, choosing to defend him…"

The red frog seemed to be looking him up and down, as if examining him. Then the frog slapped him amiably on the back. "That's a good lad! I like you, kid!"

"Wait, wha?" Link blurted out. He thought that most of the gods hated Vaati.

"That young man's use of wind is absolutely beautiful! The cyclones he can craft… they probably rival even mine…"

"Tut, tut, brother," said Zephos disappointingly, "He abuses that power. How can you say such a thing?!"

Cyclos turned to his brother, giving him a foul look. "And how can you be content with just gentle winds…. They have no power behind them!"

And they shot back and forth, arguing about their preferences. Din became angry (_What a shock there,_ Link thought) and then yelled at the two for arguing before leading the two lesser gods somewhere else. Nayru seemed to disappear somewhere during all the commotion, leaving Farore alone with the two mortals and the ghost.

"What is happening?" Rayeh asked, obviously confused.

"And what was that about?" Link asked to Farore.

The green goddess gave her matronly smile and said, "Zephos and Cyclos, as you have seen, have very different views on how wind should be handled. Zephos believes that wind should be used for the good of people while Cyclos tends to have more violent tendencies with wind. He enjoys making cyclones and causing people misery."

"That sounds like someone I know…" Link muttered while ignoring the dirty looks he was getting.

"It does," Farore nodded in agreement, "But nonetheless, it guarantees you one vote."

"Great, I only need like fifty more…" he scowled.

"You're supposed to be on our side." Poe said, warbly voice laced with anger.

"I am on your side," Link said, "I'm just being realistic. People don't like Vaati."

The ghost was about to say something back, but Rayeh did her thing- she calmed him down, "He has a point, Poe. Don't get angry."

His incorporeal shoulders slumped as they usually did and he nodded while mumbling something.

"However, you might be able to get two votes out of them." Farore piped in.

Link forked an eyebrow.

The goddess continued, "Zephos is not one who is easily biased. The only reason he is so in this case is because the one on trial shares something he has. He can be swayed by reason, if you can provide anything that would make the sorcerer seem good in his eyes."

"That will be a difficult task."

That voice caused Link to shudder violently. He knew who it was… he could never forget that voice…

The Fairy Queen, Venus, had arrived. It was most likely because he was older that he really noticed now but… that woman was drop dead gorgeous. She really did rival the goddesses in that area. She was still golden and sparkling and her voice was still musical and uplifting. She was tall, but looked taller because she wasn't actually standing. She was floating in midair, her translucent wings barely moving.

"Both of you close your mouths." he heard Rayeh say flatly.

Link blushed and simply averted his gaze from the Fairy Queen. Then he remembered that the former maid had said "both of you." He looked over at Poe and saw that the ghost was pulling his hood down over his face in embarrassment. He smiled in satisfaction, glad that he wasn't the only one with that reaction.

"So… Your Highness," Link said, still not directly at the fairy woman, "What are you doing here?"

"I may not be a god but I am still a powerful figure. I am part of these proceedings." she said it so simply but her voice… Link didn't think he could stay around her for too much longer.

"I, uh, guess you're not on our side, then." he said.

"I have no idea what you are talking about," said Venus. She said it in a way that told him she did not really mean it but then went on to say, "I completely forgot about everything he did previously, remember?"

"And what does that mean?" Rayeh asked somewhat suspiciously.

"It means I am perfectly open to anything they say. Depending on which argument is more convincing, I'll make a decision." she said.

She began to float off to one of the corridors, but she seemed to purposely go out of her way to pass Link. He wasn't sure if his vision was right or not, but he could've sworn that she winked at him as she passed.

When she was gone, Farore sidled up next to him and said, "She likes you."

"I'm under that impression as well," said Rayeh.

"That's…" he started, "That's not a good thing…"

Then there was a muffled sound coming from Poe. His hood was practically flat on his face.

"Your hood." said the ex-maid.

Another muffled noise and he finally let go, his hood bouncing back up until its normal position. Still seeming quite rattled by the fairy woman that had passed, he said, "Eh, I said… I said that she'll probably give us a vote… if that's the case…" he mumbled something silently to himself.

Rayeh seemed to brighten up at the way the ghost was acting. Link paid attention only to what he said. As much as he didn't like the idea that a fairy, more accurately the Fairy Queen, was coming on to him… the ghost had a point. Chances are she was just playing with him anyways. And if she wasn't… well, he was already involved with Zelda.

"I… If I were human… I think I'd need some water…" Poe said shakily.

"You might," Farore said, "And you might need some now, actually. You are not truly a ghost here, remember that."

Whether it was because of an overload of confusion, a reminder of how he changed while inside the mountain, or both, it was the wrong thing to say. Poe began to wail.

"I just remembered!" Link said quickly, hoping what he was going to say would work- it had to, actually. "I told Vaati I'd see him when Zelda contacted me again, and she contacted me again. Wanna come Poe?"

The ghost immediately stopped wailing. He actually had an unsure look on his face and he looked up at Farore. The goddess nodded at him and then Poe said, "I… I would very much like to see him…"

Link gave a sigh of relief, just glad that he had gotten the apparition to stop screaming. He then looked over to Rayeh, "Do you wanna come, too?"

She visibly flinched and just looked down at the floor, fiddling with her fingers. "I… I don't think I should go…" she said quietly.

He frowned a bit, remembering that Poe mentioned the lack of the relationship she and Vaati had was more complicated than it usually was. He didn't push it; he just nodded and then gestured to Poe for them to go.

* * *

Hehe, I never intended for this but uh... The next few chapters will be a little more light. It's going to be kind of nice actually, because if I kept going as planned, it might get a little too dark and depressing. Still, I will be having fun writing the next chapters!


	8. All's Fair in Love and War

Wow, I hate school... I also hate myself for what I'm about to say. Biweekly updates now. That means, I will be updating once every two weeks. The once a week thing, as much as it pains me to say it, is just too much now. This whole having a life thing... It can be quite a hindrance. I'll still try and give early updates now, since I'm on my Winter vacation now. Still, I feel horrible for doing this...

This chapter's kind of short but you get another one later today so no complaining.

* * *

"Influencing the other gods? If I had known that I might not be in this predicament right now." Vaati said bitterly.

"Yeah, you would've done what back then? They're gods, in case you forgot." Link pointed out.

The mage shrugged, not seeming to see Link's point, "Just convince them to vote for me, not against." And then he turned his gaze to the ghost.

"Poe," said Vaati firmly, "You've been quiet- something very unlike you."

The specter had a blank look on his face. "Oh… sorry… Master…" he said distantly.

The mage forked an eyebrow and suspicion and then asked Link, "What's wrong with him?"

"I dunno," the teenager answered, "He's been acting weird since Venus came."

A tinge of anger flared behind Vaati's eyes. "I forgot that _she_ would be coming…" he muttered. He then directed his glare to Poe, "And I can't believe that of all people, _you_ fall in love with _her_."

"What?!" Link blurted out.

Poe looked deeply ashamed of himself as he attempted to hide his ghostly face under his hood. "Terribly sorry, Master…"

"How did you know he was in love with her?" Link asked blankly.

"Bah, you had that same lost look on your face when you thought of Zelda all those years ago." he said it as if he was disgusted.

"I did?" once again, the teen asked it blankly.

"Yes, you did." snapped the mage. He turned his attention back to his ghostly servant and shook his head in disappointment, "You have horrible taste…"

One of the ghost's eyes peeped from under his hood, "You're not going to threaten me or harm me?" he asked.

"What is the point? I may be angry and since you're now solid I can beat you to a pulp, but then you'll just be in love and in pain. I'm not sure what the difference is, but I won't take my chances." said the sorcerer. "Instead… Well, I have nothing better to do since they stopped torturing me, so I will help you get the girl."

"Really?!" Poe squeaked in utter delight. "Oh, Master, this is… this the most… the _only_ kind thing you've ever done for me! I… I don't know how to thank you!" The ghost was on the verge of tears, if he had any.

"Just shut up." said the mage simply.

Link tried not to be disturbed as the ghost's mouth literally disappeared. Instead, he just looked back over to Vaati and whispered, "Why are you _really_ doing this?"

The sorcerer just gave an evil grin and said, "If Poe can win that witch's heart, I can rub it in her face."

Link just rubbed his temples, "Is… is there any sense of good will in you?"

"No, but if it makes you feel better, you can help." he said as he looked his ghostly servant up and down, "I'll need all the help I can get to get make this idiot seem attractive."

Poe had that glimmer in his eyes, the one that made it look like he was about to cry. Finally he wailed, "Oh master, you're so kind!"

Vaati slapped him, "Shut up! Women hate when men whine!" the sorcerer then muttered under his breath, "I could get used to slapping him…"

The ghost nodded quickly, "Yes, sir."

"I don't think you should be slapping him…" Link groaned.

"It's not like he will bruise." Vaati said simply. "And he's not that nice to look at to begin with."

"… Well… I'm sure he has some sort of charm…" the young hero couldn't even begin to hide his struggle with saying that.

"Trust me when I say he has no charm whatsoever." said the wind mage flatly.

"Master Vaati's right about that…" agreed Poe with a nod.

Finally, Link gave in. "Yeah…"

Link couldn't claim to know as much about the ghost as Vaati but he knew enough to know that he was not the typical choice for a woman. He was ghost, therefore, he was scary as hell to look at. He had an explosive temper and sometimes he could speak way too much. He wasn't very good at conversation either since the only subject he seemed to know was Vaati.

"I'm gonna pass on this one." Link said. "I already have too much to deal with…"

* * *

Rayeh smiled. Poe was in love. She could tell, it was love at first sight just like when she met…

Well, it might actually really work for Poe, even though the Fairy Queen seemed to like Link. She completely ignored the ghost, and Rayeh felt bad for that. Not that it was her fault or anything like that but… to be unnoticed like that… That had to have hurt.

Link had been the first to come back out, saying that the ghost and Vaati were scheming something.

"Scheming? Scheming what?" she asked.

"Let's just say I worry about Poe's love life." he answered.

She smiled a bit at that. Vaati was capable of acting kind sometimes, though the situation probably had something for him in the end. Either way, it was nice. For some reason, it gave her some sense of normalcy. Despite the fact that they weren't at home and everyone in this place was doing their best to tear their lives down, it sort of like the times when Vaati and Poe had those planning talks back at home…

Home… Years ago, home was back at Castle Town. Now home was the Palace of the Winds. There was always work to be done there, what with restoring it and all, but she didn't mind. It kind of reminded her of work back at the Castle except back there it was much more enjoyable. To be honest, what made the Palace home wasn't really the place but… the people. The Bokoblins were nice enough once you had gotten past the rough exteriors, Poe ended up being her best friend… and Vaati…

Now she was depressed again…

"Hello, Lady Rayeh…" she heard Poe say.

She turned around and saw the ghost, looking a bit… miserable.

"Poe, you look… terrible." she said honestly.

"Master Vaati became frustrated…" he said tiredly.

She smiled softly at him and said, "He does that."

The ghost nodded and then sighed deeply. "You know, Lady Rayeh… Venus lives in the Catacombs… I was buried there and I stayed there for a very long time when the Master was gone… I was so, so near her… yet I'd never seen her until today…" he said dreamily.

"I'll help you too. After all, women know how other women think- Fae or not." she said with a wink.

The ghost's lower lip quivered. "You and Master Vaati are so kind…" he said, his voice wavering.

"Don't get too emotional now." she said, "You need to gauge what kind of guy she likes. Some women like emotional men, others not so much."

"I guess you're a part of the latter then." said Poe absently. When he caught himself, his hand slapped itself straight over his mouth.

She just smiled and said, "Women also tend to like men who think before they speak. And be sure to remember the saying: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

* * *

Everything was falling into place. If Din played her cards right then everything would go exactly as she had envisioned. After all, there was no possible way that Link could win. To say everything was rigged would be a bit… evil… but it might as well have been! The lesser gods and spirits that were attending were the exact same ones from the mage's first trial. Everything would remain the same, maybe a few votes off, but the same nonetheless. Who in their right mind would defy a goddess, anyways? Well, besides the idiot mortals that insisted on defending the sorcerer.

_Another goddess perhaps?_ said the voice in the back of her head.

Another goddess? Neither of her idiot sisters would dare… Nayru was stickler for law and order, it was her thing.

And then there was…

Farore.

She punched the wall of her chamber. Farore… Farore! That little… creator of life, she loved all things! While evil ones such as Ganon and Vaati she probably did not care for, she cared for the ones who would defend them! And if Link was involved…

Din growled in frustration. She had never thought of the situation if Farore was involved, if she dared interfere with her plans. Perhaps it was because the goddesses all shared of bond of trust, one that could never be broken…

But no one could be trusted! It was a fact of life… no one could be trusted… not even family… yes, she was breaking the bond, but it was true! No one could be trusted. That was why she always influenced the decisions of the gods and spirits. Always, no matter how one sided the case, she would always do it. She would always get the verdict she wanted; she wanted to make sure she had loyalty and those who defied her in the end…

She smirked at the thought.

Those who defied her found that it was the last thing they did in life.

Family or not, Farore wasn't going to have her way… no, no, she was Din! Din was the one who held all the power and it would always remain that way…

* * *

Have I mentioned that I like writing from crazy people? Because I do. I really do. As a side note, I gotta say, I never meant for Din to turn out like a complete nut. But, uh, that's just how it ended up.


	9. Conspiracy

Ah, just barely made it. Anyways, this chapter is only a bit longer than the last but it's so important! We also get another character from Ocean Fortress making a reappearance here.

* * *

"You need me to look up some information on the gods?" Zelda's voice asked from the gossip stone. It sounded like she had finally gotten a good night's rest and tat relieve Link. He didn't want her exhausting all her energy on this.

"Yeah," he said, "More specifically on one called Zephos. I might ask for more as they keep coming."

"Alright," said the princess brightly, "I'll have it for you in a bit. It shouldn't take too long; there are many books on the gods here."

"Thanks." he told her gratefully.

The gossip stone's light then darkened as Zelda went off to do her research. Link sighed. He missed her terribly. It used to be he could see her every day but now… Now he could only hear her voice, which was better than the last time he had been separated from her, but it wasn't quite the same. He kind of wished she was there with him, but he knew the safest bet was for her to remain at the castle. The mountain, both the inside and outside of it, proved itself to be dangerous and weird.

Then there was the matter of the gods. More were coming in; he'd met a few more, some he had heard of, others he had not. Somehow, he had to convince the majority of them that Vaati was not as evil as they thought. He figured that if he had gotten Zephos on his side, it would improve his chances significantly. After all, he was a god of wind – the element that Vaati excelled in. Everyone expected Cyclos to vote for Vaati, but if he got Zephos… Well, Zephos, according to Farore, was a person (or amphibian, he wasn't quite sure which to go with) of reason. If he reasoned that Vaati wasn't such a bad guy, it might convince other gods to change their own votes. But as Venus had said, it wouldn't be an easy task…

Venus… the Fairy Queen. Once upon a time she had a grudge against Vaati for betraying his own race. Now, she claimed to have forgotten everything. He wasn't sure how true to her word she was, but that wasn't what had him worried. What had him worried was how she seemed to be flirting with him. She was a fairy, and after growing up hearing all sorts of tales about them- with each tale getting darker and darker as he got older, as well as having dealt with a very bad fairy by the name of Leanan- her flirting with him was very unsettling. Really, he just didn't want to deal with her… but he had to if he wanted her vote…

But if he wasn't the one convincing her…

He remembered Poe. The ghost was absolutely enamored with her. If he could send Poe to try and convince her, he might actually be able to kill two birds with one stone. It would be helping Poe out and at the same time, he didn't have to deal with Venus. He wasn't sure if it would work, as she seemed to completely ignore the poor specter, but hey, at least he wouldn't have to deal with her.

Knowing it was hideously late, however, he decided he'd approach the ghost with the next day. He just hoped he wouldn't be running into any more lesser gods.

* * *

The red goddess waited until one of her servants reported to her that it was nightfall. She would only have to wait a few more hours… That was going to be her time… She would make sure that everything was going as planned. With the help she was about to enlist, things would keep turning in her favor.

The mountain grew quiet and it was only when she was sure no one would be functioning at night that she left the room. The hallways that were normally lit by themselves were now dim. That meant no one was walking around. Smiling smugly, she confidentally strode out of the mountain into the darkness of the outside. But it wasn't so dark with the angry spirits shedding their ghostlight.

She could feel the hatred in the air as they swirled around her. They charged at her only to find that their attacks were useless. This only made them shudder and swirl around her even more.

_At least this means I don't have to move too far from the mountain._ she thought.

One of the brighter spirits took the lead and came closer than the others. In a voice that sounded like the hissing of the wind it said,

"_Goddess that is the source of our wrath, why have you come here?!_" it demanded.

"To strike a deal." she told it simply.

She heard hisses and howls from all the spirits around her. The lead one remained silent. She could just imagine that if it had a face, it would be glaring at her. It was something that almost made her want to laugh.

"_What could you possibly offer us? You damned us to wander the earth against our wills._" asked the spirit.

"And if you agree to help me, I'll let you enter the afterlife- more specifically heaven. I'm sure none of you want to go to hell." said the goddess.

Silence came over all of the spirits. Even the wind seemed to stop blowing. The leader retreated to the other spirits. Small inaudible whispers came from them. The red goddess didn't see why they needed to deliberate. She was offering them a solid deal; all they had to do was do what she said.

The leader came back and then said, "_What would you have us do?_"

Din smiled in satisfaction, "It's simple. You've already encountered the ones I need… out of the way, you can say: a poe, a woman, a teenaged boy, and my sister."

A murmur arose from the other spirits.

"_Sister? You would have us harm your own sister, your fellow goddess?_" asked the leader, sounding almost a bit shocked.

"Only if she comes out again." said the red goddess, "She probably will not, but in case she does… The other three will probably have more of a chance at coming out. Cabin fever, one of them is bound to get it."

"_We cannot touch the boy._" said the leader of the spirits.

Din rolled her eyes angrily, "Of course you can't, he's Triforce holder! But there are other ways to handle him, I'm sure you can think of something! Now do we have a deal or not!?" she said.

The spirit seemed to growl but said, "_We will do what you ask so long as you keep the end of your bargain._"

Standing straighter in triumph the goddess said, "I will. You'll have to go out during the day, but that shouldn't be a problem."

The spirit bobbed and said, "_As you wish._"

She wasn't sure if she could be any more satisfied with that answer. All she had to do was have her talks with the other gods…

She dismissed the spirits and they scattered. She went to make her way back into the mountain and she could have sworn she saw a ghostlight in the hallway. She didn't think much of it. Mortal forms such as the one she was in came with tricks of the light and it wasn't like the spirits could enter the mountain anyways.

* * *

Link had been directed to a room made specifically for himself. It was nice enough, but for the life of him he could not sleep. As comfortable as they tried to make the room, the mountain was still terribly creepy. It was a place too holy for mortals, and while he was the holder of Farore's power, that didn't make him special or anything. He was still mortal; nothing was going to change that. So, for who knows how long, he remained in bed just staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

Poe was somewhere in the room too; where he couldn't say. He blended in with the darkness, but occasionally he would catch the glimmer of the ghost's red eyes. It was unnerving but he refused to stay in Rayeh's room and Link dared not push it lest the ghost go on a rant.

"Link," he heard Poe say. He hadn't expected it so he almost jumped out of his skin when he heard him.

"What?" he asked as he sat up and found the ghost's shining red eyes.

"The room is getting misty." said the ghost. His voice was wavering.

He just forked an eyebrow in confusion but then quickly noticed that the ghost was right. There was a creepy kind of mist flooding the room and the sight of it definitely sent a chill up his spine.

"I'm scared…"

He jumped again at Poe's voice. The ghost had gotten really near him within those few seconds. All the teen could do was just nod in agreement. The ghost then tugged at his sleeve.

"What?" Link squeaked.

"Can… can you hold me?" Poe asked just as squeakily.

Any fear he had left escaped as he just the ghost a confused look. The fear came back, though, when all of a sudden a form was coming into the room. At the sight of it becoming solid, both Link and Poe grabbed each other for dear life (or whatever it was Poe had) and screamed at the top of their lungs.

In the room beside them, Rayeh awoke with a start. She could've sworn she heard what sounded like frightened little girls screaming. Groaning she let her face fall on the pillow. She had just gotten to sleep and then something woke her up. She wasn't sure what since it sounded like the screams came from the next room over, which was inhabited by Link and Poe. It took her a moment to realize that the screaming did come from Link and Poe when she heard the ghost scream, "Save me Master Vaati!"

She sighed in her pillow. It felt strange, sleeping alone…

_I will have to get used to it…_ she thought sadly. No matter which way the trial went, she would have to get used to it…

She lifted herself from her pillow and immediately felt the temperature in the room drop a few degrees. She looked around curiously and saw mist forming in the room. Something nagged at her in her mind. The ex-maid knew she had encountered something like this before…

"_Well, well, well, I certainly didn't expect to see you again!_" it was a playful, warbly voice. She recognized it and then turned over on her back. At the foot of her bed sat a silvery Keaton, with its multiple tails waving in a nonexistent wind.

"Richichi?" she asked, wondering if she was dreaming. She had met the Keaton Richichi years ago with Nabooru, back when she had known Vaati as Haizea.

"_I'm glad to see you remember me!_" said the Keaton happily.

"What… what are you doing here?" Rayeh asked it.

The Keaton laughed its strange laugh, raising a paw to where its mouth would be and said, "_I just came from giving a warning to your friends in the other room. Perhaps I should not have done my traditional entrance._"

"That is what they were screaming about?" she said, slightly amazed. She couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Of all things for those two to get frightened of, it was the Keaton's ominous entrance! She then stopped when she realized what Richichi had said. "Wait… warning?"

The Keaton's attitude changed as it nodded gravely. "_There is treachery afoot. I wouldn't recommend you or friends go outside until this trial over._" it explained.

She frowned, "Not saying that I will but why?" she asked hesitantly.

Richichi opened its eyes only slightly, something she was sure Keatons did not normally do. That told her just how serious the creature was.

"_The goddess Din is not like she once was…_" it said it simply enough, but the normally high pitched and warbly voice was deeper now.

The former maid bit her lip and nodded.

The Keaton closed its eyes, stood up and turned slightly before pausing. It looked back at her and said in its normal tone of voice, "_I will take my leave now. If anyone asks, you didn't see me._"

* * *

Richichi makes me laugh. I really like her. And yes, Richichi's a she (in my eyes, at least). I'll never say it in the story but for some reason I just feel the character is female. You're welcome to accept Richichi as any gender you'd like, though. Also, that scene with Link and Poe as Richichi makes her appearence... That is my favorite scene of _life_.

Now remember all, biweekly updates now. Sorry again, but I'll try to get in another few chapters while I'm on vacation.


	10. The Morning of the Trial

I had a most horrible morning that was spent mostly in front of the porcelain god, so this chapter wasn't done quite as I liked. And to my great, great dislike it's short. It makes me angry, but I have school tomorrow... Blech! And I still have so much to do for tomorrow! Grr... Well, see ya'll in two weeks... I feel bad for saying that. T.T

* * *

Link could not sleep for the rest of the night. Sure, it ended up that it wasn't anything dangerous but the creepy entrance haunted his mind. Apparently it did Poe too, because he and the ghost still hadn't let go of each other.

It was when light was slowly entering the room from the mountain's unseen light sources that they managed to let go of each other. They decided that they would never speak of it, either. They were men after all; people couldn't know that they had screamed like children and held each other for dear life the whole night.

They both jumped and yelped when there was a knock on the door but relaxed a bit when the door opened revealing Rayeh. She had a big grin on her face.

"I heard you two had a very nice night." she said.

"Yeah…" Link started nervously, "Very nice… slept like a baby…"

She just smiled again but dropped it when she asked, "Are you ready for today?"

"Today?" he asked.

Both Poe and Rayeh gave him an incredulous look.

"How could you forget?!" Poe said angrily. "Today's the first day of the Master's trial!"

"Oh shi-" Link started. He had completely forgotten. He was used to three day wait periods and this was… this was a two day wait period and it had already passed. This was absolutely horrible. He hadn't gotten _any_ votes yet, aside from Cyclos, but just one vote wasn't enough. It wasn't nearly enough. He had to think fast.

"Poe," Link started, "Find Venus and stick around her. Try to talk to her and convince her about voting for us- but be _subtle_!"

Poe tried not to panic and let out a shaky, "Okay." Subtly was what had gotten the Master frustrated the day before…

"And Rayeh, you're reasonable. Find Zephos, see if you could convince him to go on our side. Zelda hasn't contacted me yet about him so we have to try to appeal to his reason, like Farore suggested." he told her.

Determination behind the woman's eyes, she nodded. "I will do my best." she said confidentally.

"That's what I like to hear, now let's split. We have work to do!" Link said.

Rayeh and Poe took their leave first, heading off to find their assigned gods. Link stayed behind and reached for the pouch at his side. He felt the gossip stone's warmth. He pulled it out and saw it glowing.

"Heard everything?" he asked.

"Yes," he heard Zelda's voice. "That should do for now, but today you have to stall. If those two manage to succeed that still won't be enough."

"But how am I supposed to stall? I don't know the first thing about these types of procedures… And Din's the one I have to go up against. I honestly don't know how I can handle arguing with her." Link mumbled.

"That's why you have me." he heard Zelda say. "I can help, Link. You know as well as I do that even the Prime Minister can't win in a debate against me!"

He nodded, "That's true. But how?" he asked.

"Stick the gossip stone under your hat. You can still hear me but no one else can. That way, if you are in a tight spot I can tell you what to say." she explained.

He sighed in relief and smiled at the stone. "And some guys complain that they're girlfriends are too smart."

"And most men don't have to go through what you go through." she said through the stone. He felt a twinge of guilt crawl up his spine. She sounded… well, she sounded sad when she said that.

"I'll be back soon, you know that, right?" he said.

"Yes…"

He just stared guiltily at the gossip stone and a strange silence came over the room.

"Guess I should get going…" Link mumbled. There was no answer from the other side of the stone but he put it under his hat.

* * *

Rayeh and Poe had gone to the trial room. The stands were already filling with all the gods and spirits there. The maid frowned. There were so many… but she had to be optimistic! No matter how impossible this situation really was there had to be some strand of hope somewhere…

"Do you see either of them?" she asked Poe.

The ghost was looking around anxiously while twiddling his long, ghostly fingers. She smiled at him gently and put a hand on his shoulder. It was strange, actually being able to touch the ghost. She had to admit, she didn't think she would do as a gesture of comfort anymore. He was ridiculously cold.

"If you want, I can talk to her in your stead." she told him.

"No!" he said quickly, "I need to do this!"

And just as he said that, Venus floated right by them; she didn't seem to even notice them.

"Go get her." Rayeh said encouragingly.

Clenching his fists and thinking _I can do this!_ Poe floated off behind the Fairy Queen. Catching up to her, he struggled for words. The fairy woman still didn't even seem to notice him, even as she sat in her assigned booth.

Finally, he managed to choke out, "Um, ah, hello Your Majesty…" even then, it came out as a squeak.

"Hm?" the Fairy Queen turned her head in his direction with an expression of surprise. "Oh, hello. I didn't even see you there." her voice was so musical, Poe almost felt like dancing to it. She crinkled her nose then, as if trying to place him and then said, "You were with Link, were you not?"

"Ah, yes… Yes, I was." he said skittishly.

She smiled a glorious smile and Poe resisted actually melting onto the floor.

"What brings you here, apparition?" she asked.

Her voice was so beautiful… He just wanted to blurt out the truth, right there.

_"… be subtle!"_ he remembered Link say.

"Ah, I thought you might enjoy the company…" he said nervously.

She cocked her head to the side, her sparkling, gold hair falling to one side, a few strands cascading over her beautiful face… She was obviously trying to detect some sort of ulterior motive, but Poe had just become so entranced by her that she couldn't tell if he was lying or not. And even though there was an ulterior motive, Poe hadn't been completely lying. He really did wish to be around her…

Rayeh, in the meanwhile, was looking around for the god she was in charge of convincing. She had seen no signs of Zephos so she had gone to looking around for Cyclos. Chances were that if she found him, Zephos would be nearby. Instead, both gods ended up finding her.

"Ah, if it isn't the young woman that was with Link yesterday!" it was Zephos, she could tell from the cheerful tone. She didn't have to look for him, his cloud carried him right in front of her. A disgruntled looking Cyclos was not too far from him. "Vaati's ward, correct?" asked Zephos.

She nodded a bit hesitantly. She still wasn't quite used to dealing with a giant frog, despite the fact that she could deal with Bokoblins just fine.

"Yes," she answered, "Mu name is Rayeh and I was hoping I might watch the trial with you two. Though we were not formally introduced yesterday, you two are the only ones I am acquainted with and I would hate to be alone…"

The green god gave a hearty laugh and said, "I have no problems with it." He then turned to his brother and asked, "Do you mind, Cyclos?"

The red god didn't seem too interested but shrugged and said, "Whatever you want. Either way I don't care."

The green frog pivoted his cloud around and laughed again while saying, "Then it looks like you're welcome in our booth."

She bowed deeply and said, "Thank you very much."

"Ah, it's nothing lass, you needn't bow like that." said Zephos, "Shall we?"

And so she followed the twin gods to their booth. When there, it wasn't too long before Zephos and Cyclos then began to get in an argument similar to the one they had gotten into the day before. They both had very conflicting opinions on how the trial would go and Zephos's argument was depressing her greatly.

"Ah, sorry about that," said the green frog when he noticed how down she seemed, "I'm only stating the facts, you know."

"I know…" she said quietly, "But in my heart I hope that it will not happen like that."

The green frog looked at her curiously and then asked, "What is it you see in him?"

She laughed at the question. She wasn't sure why it was so funny but for some reason she just found it so.

"I really don't know." she answered honestly. "It is true, he is… he is not a very nice person. Quick to anger, quick to insult, he actually seems to like getting others angry, he does not care what others think of him, and he has goals that most would find… questionable. Oh… and he is a womanizer of the worst kind." She paused for a moment before adding one last thing, "But… he is kind to his servants, in his own strange way… He does not treat us badly… except Poe but he seems to like it."

Dazed and having drifted off to her own world, she didn't even hear Cyclos chuckle.

"And what's so funny?" Zephos asked his brother.

"That girl is stupid." answered the red frog. "Don't get me wrong, she has backbone to come all this way to try and save the sorcerer, but even she knows this is all impossible. She's stupid… but I guess I admire that kind of idiocy."


	11. The Trial Part 1

Ah, and so the chapter for the... well, not week but for... Whatever, the chapter of the moment. Life is just so complicated... I really need to work on less things at once... So yeah... Well, I'll have more to say after the chapter.

* * *

Link was scared. Forget nervous, he was scared. Zelda gave him some words of encouragement through the gossip stone, but they went in one ear and out the other. She may have been telling him what to say but he still felt nervous as all heck.

He was in the main chamber, being told he had to wait for Din. He heard a dull roar coming from inside of the court chamber, making him all the more nervous. He wasn't a good public speaker… He brushed it to the back of his mind, despite the fact that it would come to bite him in the butt later.

Then came that Keaton from the night before… He'd never seen a Keaton, not did he ever see an entrance quite like that. Still, he didn't like what the creature had to say. Something about treachery and that they shouldn't go outside. Link had no intentions of going outside until the trial was over with. He'd rather have the uncomfortable feeling of too much holiness than have another encounter with psycho Poe. Still, there might be the off chance that any one of them would wander outside if something unexpected were to happen. He would just have to remember if anything outrageous were to happen that going outside would seem like a good idea, he couldn't go outside.

He came back to reality when he heard footsteps. It wasn't Din, but rather some of her strange looking servants guiding a shackled Vaati. Link had to admit, the sorcerer seemed much better than he had in the past two days.

Noting his expression, the mage said, "They decided to fix me up for my court date. It makes it look like they've treated me fairly. Thoughtful, isn't it?" It was said with mocking enthusiasm.

"A work of the heart," Link said, "Have you seen Din?"

Vaati forked an eyebrow and glanced behind Link, "You haven't looked very hard."

Confused, he turned around and jumped. Din was right there, smiling as if she had been there the whole time.

"Shall we?" she asked. She didn't wait for an answer, but went on ahead.

"How does she do that?!" Link asked angrily.

Vaati smirked, "She's a goddess."

Grumbling angrily, Link just followed on.

The dull roar coming from the chamber before was now replaced with complete silence. He had to admit, the court chamber looked much different when the stands were filled. Ignoring the looks both he and the sorcerer were getting, he looked around for Poe and Rayeh. He managed to find Poe easily enough, but couldn't pinpoint Rayeh's location.

"Up on the left. Far left." Vaati said nonchalantly.

"What?" Link asked.

"That's where she is, with the frogs." he answered.

Link wasn't even going to bother to ask how the mage had found her so fast. Besides, all he needed to know was that she found Zephos and Cyclos. He hoped that both of them were making some progress. He really did…

Din had gone to a table and stood behind it, looking as confident and smug as ever. Link spotted another table to which Vaati was already heading towards. He hurried a little to catch up.

"What's going to happen now?" he whispered in a voice only the gossip stone under his hat could hear.

"Nayru should be coming now. She's going to make an opening statement, saying what the charges are and such. Afterwards she'll allow Din to make her argument, then we'll make ours, and she'll continue hers and so on and so forth." she explained.

"Okay, and what's the plan for that?" he asked.

"Five years ago. We're going to be using that as our main argument." she said simply. "It may not have been willingly, but he did help you save Hyrule."

Before Link could respond to that, Nayru appeared on the stand towering above the lower level that he, Vaati, and Din were on. The blue goddess was definitely the center of attention as she stood there in her normal dignified fashion. For some reason, she seemed more commanding then she usually did.

"And so we begin the second trial of the Wind Sorcerer Vaati. I assume none of our present company needs any more explanation than that." said the blue goddess simply. "The same charges as before apply. Din, you may begin."

The red goddess lowered her head as a sort of mini bow and walked out from behind her table. She circled around, smiling contentedly.

"I'm sure most of you remember the last trial of this sorcerer. In the last trial, we went over all his wrongs and we found him guilty. As his punishment, my sisters and I cursed him and for a time the curse worked… Until five years ago when the interference of a certain former wizard broke the curse and returned this vile creature to what he was and is. Ever since, this sorcerer has been up to his old tricks. He was attempting to raise his palace again and even took a young lady as his consort. Now imagine what would happen if we did not step in when we did, imagine what would happen in _another_ five years if we don't stop him now. I don't see why there needs to be any deliberation in light of this and personally I believe that this trial will end the same as his last… only with a different sentence." said Din. She then looked over to Link and said, "Your turn."

Link felt the stone under his hat vibrate a bit and he heard Zelda's voice whisper, "Link, just talk about five years ago, make sure to tell them that Rayeh went willingly, and speak professionally. I'll jump in when you need me; I can't dictate everything to you."

_I wish you could…_ he thought worriedly.

"Hurry it up, none of them bite… except Din." said Vaati.

Ignoring the calm, unbothered way in which the mage had said that, Link stepped from behind the table and felt like he was going to be sick. Stage fright was something he had always had, it was even worse now since these weren't regular people but gods and high spirits.

"Snap out of it!" Zelda's voice said from under his hat. "You can do this, Link!"

She was right. He could do this… he was man, dammit. He fought dragons, Great Fairies, and the Evil King. How could public speaking be any more terrifying than that?

"Din has a point. Vaati is a horrible person-"

"That's counter productive," said Zelda.

Link ignored it, "But he isn't _that_ horrible. I know this from personal experience. I'm sure many of you gods and spirits know what happened five years ago. Ganondorf came and messed everything up for everyone and I had to go and beat him to save Hyrule and the princess. The truth is, I probably wouldn't have done that if Vaati hadn't been there. He saved my life two times. If he really was as horrible a person as Din says he was, he would've let me die. In fact, he could've killed me easily after the fight with Ganondorf-but he didn't even though he has a personal vendetta against me that I don't even know. Actually… he could've killed me a bunch of times…"

He heard Zelda sigh and once again he ignored it. He thought he was doing very well.

"Anyways, he really isn't that bad of a guy. In fact," he looked around the far top left and spotted Rayeh. He pointed at her and said, "Rayeh, there, is the woman that's… ah… she's with Vaati but she wasn't taken unwillingly. She went with him of her own volition. And really, since he hasn't done anything bad lately, I don't see why he should be on trial! Especially when he helped me save Hyrule!"

He nodded firmly, saying he was done, and headed back to the table. He tried to ignore how Vaati looked like he was about to crack up and took his place behind the table. After what he had just said, he was sure they couldn't lose now.

"Link…" he heard Zelda's tired voice, "From now on… I'm dictating…"

"Why, that was pretty good…" he whispered.

"It was… but unfortunately, gods and high spirits would probably find your language… insolent, to say the least." she said. "It should've occurred to me that…"

"What occurred to you?" he asked feeling a little insulted.

"Ah well… it's just that… Um, you weren't really raised like me so… Your vocabulary and demeanor…"

"Are you trying to call me dumb?" he asked disbelievingly. "Are you trying to say you're better than me?"

"Just in this area!" she said quickly and a bit apologetically. "But-"

"Whoa, but nothing… that hurts. Have you always thought I was dumb?!"

"I don't mean to intrude," interrupted Vaati, "But if they catch you having an argument with yourself, I think this impossible endeavor will become more impossible than it already is. Especially when they find out you have help from the outside."

"We take care of this later!" Link whispered to Zelda harshly.

"Fine…" she said hesitantly.

Getting back into the game, Link looked to see Din at her own table. She seemed to be fiddling with something on the table and from the looks of it, everyone seemed to be growing impatient with her. Finally, she stood up and looked even more self-assured than she had before.

"A good argument but that just proves he's lost interest in you, dear hero, and that that woman up there in an idiot." she said to him, giving him a pitying smile. "He's changed a bit, big deal. You can cut some of the rot off of an apple, but it's still rotten. Need I remind everyone of this sorcerer's past? Need I remind everyone what he is capable of? Need I remind everyone of what he truly looks like-the monster that he really is?" That last sentence had her smile change from pitying to just one of pure enjoyment. "I mean, I do not think it's necessary but it really does reflect his true nature… that of a hideous creature."

"At least I don't reflect a pig."

"Oh goddesses…" Link heard Zelda moan from under his hat. "He didn't just…"

"He did…" Link said grimly as he rubbed his forehead. He just kept his eyes on the floor, not even wanting to see the expression on Din's face. In fact, if there was ever a time he didn't want to be in a place, it was then. He really wished he could just be very, very far away.

Still, some crazy part of him lifted his eyes to see Din looking flabbergasted. Something he thought he would never see. It was at that time, however, that Link remembered when he and Vaati were pitted against a Great Fairy called Leanan. Something very similar happened when the mage called the Great Fairy a very nasty word…

The goddess of power stood there for a moment more, looking as if she could not believe what the wind mage had just said. Then, she smiled softly, something which looked absolutely creepy on her, and said, "I would appreciate it if you not bring the holder of my power into this."

"And I would appreciate it if you not bring up my other form." retorted the sorcerer, smiling pleasantly.

After a short glare match between the two, Din turned to Link and said, "You should teach him when to keep his mouth shut."

"Din," Nayru said, "Please return to the topic at hand."

"Of course, sister." said the red goddess to her sister politely. She wasn't feeling polite at all, however. No, the sorcerer had just blindsided her… and that left her feeling very unpleasant. And when the goddess of power felt unpleasant… things would end up being _very_ unpleasant. She had already promised unpleasant things were going to happen, she wondered if she could come up with anymore…

* * *

I know I've said it before, but I never really intended to make Din such a bitch. It just happened, but there is a reason for it. A very, very simple reason. I won't come out and say it because it's just that simple, but if you have no idea... When you have so much power, when you are a goddess of power... how do you handle it all?


	12. Depressing Thoughts

Ah, you're probably going to get another chapter fairly soon for this story and for _Starcatchers_. Both of the stories have chapters I really look forward to writing next. This one is probably going to be updated first since I actually look forward to writing the next chapter , nothing much else to say right now so... See ya at the end of the chapter.

Oh, a side note: The Trial Part 2, is actually not this chapter but in like... two chapters. Just thought you should know...

* * *

After that first part of the trial, things seemed to get worse. Din began to dish out some very fancy words and, he had to admit, he had no idea what she was saying. According to Zelda, however, she was just repeating what she had said before, just with fancier words.

But Link was just a country bumpkin, so what would he know? He was still a little bitter about the previous little conversation with Zelda. Still, he gave it his all, continuously stating different incidences in which Vaati helped him on his journey five years previous. It was a tough battle, mainly because Din always had something to say.

Eventually, Nayru called for a recess until the next day. The lesser gods and spirits all filed out, not being very quiet about it. He heard Din ordering around for some of her lackeys, but Link remained in his place.

"How did I do?" he asked Vaati.

"I don't know; I wasn't paying attention half the time." he said simply.

"You did when she called you a monster." Link commented.

The mage shot him a glare, "That's a touchy subject. Don't bring it up again." he spat.

"Fine," said the teen in green. "What do you think Din is going to pull next?"

Vaati thought it over for a moment and said, "Probably what she did last time."

"And what did she do last time?" he asked.

"She went ahead and called some of the many I have offended. Her prime tattle tale was Venus-she might try her again if she doesn't know about the deal-and she brought Zephos, as well. A few others I don't particularly care for, not that I care for any of them…"

Zelda then took the time to interrupt, "According to what I've read, you'll be allowed to cross-examine each one she calls up."

Cross-examine? What the hell did that mean? He wasn't about to ask Zelda.

"And if Din really does not know about the deal with the Fairy Queen, it'll make her look bad when she does interrogate Venus." she added. "I'll go look up to see what you can ask exactly."

"I do hope she has no idea what Venus promised." said Vaati with a smirk, "I'd like to see her be more of an idiot than she was today."

"Speaking of that," Link said, "Don't… Just don't talk while this going on."

"And take the fun out of things? Always a killjoy, Link, always a killjoy…" muttered the mage.

"Call it whatever you want but it doesn't give a good impression." He told him, "Politicians will use _anything_ against you…"

"Personal experience?" Vaati asked smugly.

Before Link could say anything back, Din's lackeys came to take the wind mage away. Before letting himself get taken away, however, the mage said, "You still need your little girlfriend, so try not to upset her too much if you really do intend to stand up to her."

Soon, the trial room was emptied, save for Link. No one had told him he had to leave, and at the moment he had figured it was the best place he could possibly be to be alone. He wasn't sure if he wanted to be alone, though. Home sounded like a much better place to be. With his family, friends… with Zelda…

But she thought he was dumb… Most of the Court probably did too. Was that why people had such problems allowing royalty to have relationships with commoners? To keep the gene pool pristine? He had never really thought about until that moment. He loved Zelda, he really did… and she said she loved him… but even he admitted he wasn't the sharpest knife in the shed. He could see now why the Court was so opposed to him courting Zelda…

"Oh my, someone seems a little distracted." It was Din.

He glared at her but said nothing.

"Such a fowl little look coming from that face. The sorcerer's rubbed off on you." She sneered. "Feeling the pressures of your little deal… regretting taking it because you know you'll lose… and have to take his life away… You know he doesn't know. What do you think his reaction would be? He's been defeated by you before but never killed… How humiliated and angry would he be?"

"Shut up, I don't need you to complicate my life anymore than it is." He hissed.

The red goddess was getting awfully close, but at that point he really didn't care. He just didn't want to acknowledge she even existed.

"Oh, I get it now…" she said wistfully, "Some problems with Zelda, yes?"

Her hands caressed his ears, causing him to shudder slightly. He tried to block her out but her touch was very difficult to ignore. It was then he realized that she mentioned Zelda… He couldn't hide the look of slight terror on his expression.

"That's right, Mr. Hero," she said, pulling his hat off with a plop and taking the stone from his blond mop. "I know all about it. I can't expect you to be too knowledgeable about these proceedings. That disgusting creature you defend doesn't even know them all… but with a vast library like the one in Hyrule Castle and the love that the princess holds for you… Of course she was going to go to any lengths to help you…"

He snatched the stone and his hat, putting them both back in their original places. But he never took his icy glare off of the red goddess.

She merely shrugged and said, "Don't worry, I won't tell. I enjoy a little challenge every now and then… Even though this isn't much of a challenge. Really, the only thing out of my bounds is outside of the mountain. But you're not going to out there. Even you are not that much of an idiot." She turned on her heel and then began to depart to wherever it was that she roamed in her free time.

Link was then alone again in the room, and greatly disturbed this time around. How much else did Din know, then? Did she know about he was getting Poe and Rayeh to try and squeeze votes from Venus and Zephos? Did she know about the promise Venus made five years ago? Did she know about the Keaton who had visited him that night before? What on earth was that woman thinking…? Did he even want to know what she was thinking?

The point was… there was no possible way he could win this… Not if he was up against Din…

* * *

Poe and Rayeh were reunited at the main chamber in the heart of the mountain. The ghost was… well… he seemed to be in dream land. The ex maid, however, seemed to be lost in dark and grim thoughts. In her mind, her thoughts were going wild. In fact, her head and her heart actually seemed to be agreeing for once. Her head reprimanded her for her idiocy and her heart mourned her one sided love… and both called her a coward for not being able to face him.

"And…she said I was very kind and thoughtful…" Poe had finished the story he was blabbing on about.

"That is wonderful, Poe. Did you tell her how you feel?" she asked, trying to take her mind off of her own romantic problems.

The ghost's hood lowered over his eyes and his whole being seemed to shrink. "I… I thought about it…"

The consort sighed and gave him a weak smile. "Well, did she say anything about her vote?"

The ghost seemed to shrink more as he mumbled something. All she could catch was, "… distracted…" She didn't hold it against him. She'd be lying if she said she had never been in the same situation.

"Do not worry too much on it," she said, flipping his hood back to its normal position. "I am sure her vote will be for us. Link did a very good job out there."

"I guess he did," added Poe, "But Venus said his language was probably going to lose him a few points, as well as the Master's outburst."

"I suppose; Link did seem a little distracted at times…" she agreed grimly, "And Lord Vaati really should not have said anything…"

It was quiet for a moment before the ghost said softly, "Are you going to see him?"

"I don't think Link ever left the trial room." She said, trying to change the subject. "We should probably go to check on him."

She began to walk back into the trial room but Poe made her pause when he said, "Lady Rayeh… I really hate myself, more than I usually do, for what I'm about to say but… As much as we may hope, they are probably going to lose this trial and Master Vaati will be killed… You should at least speak to him once while we're here…"

"I…" she started weakly, her back still facing the ghost, "I don't need to be lectured…"

For the first time in his existence, Poe felt angry at an authority figure. So much so, he speedily few in Rayeh's way. "You _do_ need to be lectured! You obviously don't know the whole situation!" he snapped at her.

She stood there, taken aback. She obviously had not expected Poe to speak up like that. Not sure what to say about that, the ghost took the chance to continue what he was saying.

"Master Vaati has kept you around for five years-_five years_! He's never, in all my years of service, kept a woman around for _that_ long! Before you, I never once befriended any of the ladies he kept; I never thought of any of them like the sister I wished I had when I was a child… I mean, I know I've said some very horrible things about you but… I highly doubt it's love, but if the Master's kept you around for so long he has to think _something_ of you!" he said.

Now Rayeh's expression was just plain blank. She never realized that… mostly because she never inquired about Vaati's past. She figured that asking that sort of thing was not in her place… but hearing that now… She was more confused than she was before.

"Um… what's going on?" It was Link, looking back and forth from the ghost to the woman.

She looked blankly at him for a moment, then she snapped back into reality. She looked back at Poe and then at Link. "Um, excuse us for a moment." she said anxiously. She then dragged the apparition away with her to the side, away from Link's earshot. "Fine," she told him roughly, "I will speak to him… But I will do so only on one condition."

"Okay?" Poe shrugged, slightly intimidated by the way Rayeh was acting.

"When I speak to Lord Vaati, you need to go off and find Venus and tell her how _you_ feel." She said, "If you agree to that, then I will speak to him."

With new found self-confidence, Poe nodded and said, "I'll do it."

She smiled perkily and then looked away from the ghost to, "Link!"

"Yeah?" he said.

She walked over to him and took a deep breath, "I… I want to see milord. Could you please take me to him?" she said it almost shakily.

"Um sure, if they let us." Link said.

Poe's jaw dropped before he quickly flew in front of Rayeh, "Now?! Why now?!"

"There might not be another chance… Didn't you say something like that?" she said to the ghost. The specter bit his nonexistent lip and then scowled. Rayeh simply then said, "You best be finding her now."

Feeling very unprepared, nervous and skittish the ghost slowly wandered off to find the Fairy Queen. The self-confidence that had been bursting from him moment's ago had left. Now he was back to being the mess of a spaz he normally was.

Link just watched the ghost drift off absently. He then looked back to Rayeh, confused. She seemed a bit distracted herself. He had to wonder what they were talking about beforehand. At the same time, he didn't think he really had time to worry about anything else…

He really wasn't going to be surprised if these few days here were cutting his life by ten years…

* * *

The next chapter of this is possibly going to be the most depressing and cutest thing that has ever been spawned from my mind since _Reflections of Midna_.

And for some reason, I'm dying to play a Zelda game... But I don't know which one. I have all of them, so anyone want to throw any suggestions?


	13. Losers in Love

DAMN... I got this done fast. You know... I love and hate these kinds of chapters at the same time. I love them because they get really emotional... And that's also why I hate them. Because writing it gives me such a hard, gut-wrenching time. In the later half of this chapter, I'll be honest and say I thought about shedding a tear or two.

WHY DO I WRITE THIS STUFF?! D:

* * *

Poe missed be able to pass through walls. It would've made finding Venus so much easier… Then again, he could always just not go and say he did… but Rayeh could tell when he lied… Everyone could tell when he lied… He was a bad liar…

He drifted through the many corridors inside of the mountain, ignoring the nasty looks he was getting from the gods and spirits. He wasn't really surprised. Ghosts such as him were abominations, mockeries of everything the goddesses strove to create. Being Vaati's most loyal servant didn't help either. But he didn't care. He was a ball of nerves, so to speak, and he was dreading and anticipating seeing Venus at the same time.

"Well now, a poe in an area he shouldn't be in? What's the occasion?"

The ghost squealed, not expecting that anyone would be addressing him. He turned quickly and saw the red frog from before, Cyclos.

"I-I… I was looking for… for Her Highness, Venus…" the ghost stuttered.

The frog laughed heartily and said, "I thought as much, the way you reacted when that vixen passed you by."

"B-but you weren't…" the ghost continued to stutter.

Cyclos's cloud quickly took him around the other side of the ghost and said, "We hadn't gotten too far when we she first arrived and presented herself to you and your companions. You've a good eye, little poe."

If the ghost had blood, it would have rushed to his face. "I… I-uh… I just want to talk to her…" he stammered.

The red frog slapped the ghost's back cheerfully and laughed again, "I'll believe that! Not much else you can do, after all, with a lack of certain… parts… if you get my drift."

Oh if he had blood…

Opening and closing his mouth, he tried to respond to the storm god but… words just escaped him.

"Haha, from your expression I can tell you led an unfulfilled life when you had it! Ah, no matter, that's besides the point," said Cyclos, "I'll take you to the good Queen." And before Poe could respond, the god grabbed him and dragged him off down the corridors.

The halls might have been a maze. The ghost had a feeling getting back to the main atrium might be even more troublesome than the finding Venus. As Cyclos led him through the maze, Poe couldn't help but notice the looks the god was getting. They were similar to the ones he was getting and he wondered if it was because of association or simply because the god was not well liked. Perhaps a mixture of both, since he did remember hearing something about Cyclos being the more chaotic of the wind gods. The trip didn't take too long, however, and the god had led the ghost to a door identical to the rest of the doors in the mountain.

_Tap, tap, tap_.

Cyclos knocked for him.

"Yes?" it was Venus's musical, magical, beautiful voice…

"You've a visitor." Answered Cyclos, "A ghost."

The door opened a bit, Venus glancing out for a moment, and then swung fully open. The Fairy Queen, as normal, was not standing, but floating above the floor. Her expression was inquisitive and did not hinder her beauty in the least.

"Poe?" she said, glancing at the ghost.

He wanted to say something but all that came out were garbled and unidentifiable sounds.

Cyclos chuckled a bit and said, "I'll be off…" leaving the ghost with the Fairy Queen.

"Why are you here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Ah… erm… I w-was talking to a friend, her name's Rayeh… she's the girl that was with me and Link when we first met and… and we were talking and I was trying to convince her to talk to the Master but she was being all 'no, no, because I can't face my fears' and I was like, 'no you have to' and-"

"Is there a point to this story?" Venus interrupted flatly. But even as irritated as she looked, she was just so enchanting…

"Yes," Poe finally said, albeit blankly, when he was back in reality. He didn't say anything else but just stared at that beautiful face.

Venus just sighed and said, "Are you going to get to the point?"

Very quickly, Poe did just as she asked, "In order for her to talk to the master I had to confess my feelings to you and I have to say I love you."

Awkward silence.

The Fairy Queen just stared blankly at him, registering what the ghost had just said.

"Oh…" Venus finally said after a moment or two. "That is… sweet… I am flattered… But…"

"I know…" muttered Poe, adjusting his hood so it covered his face a little more than it normally did. "I'm a ghost, you're a fairy… A Fairy Queen… and I live, for lack of a better word, to serve Master Vaati…"

She smiled softly at him, and pulled down his hood fully. He wasn't used having his hood down… ghostly hair scattered in front of his glowing eyes and she brushed it aside. "I can tell this is no trick. You are a sweet creature… Foolish too, for having fallen in love at first sight…" she said, "Misguided, but sweet. Had we met when you were alive… perhaps something may have happened."

He smiled at her sadly and then pulled his hood back up, tucking the ghostly strands back in their normal place. "I… I'll go now…"

* * *

Rayeh was quiet on the way to the cell. He didn't push it since he could tell she already seemed to be under a bit of pressure. He had to argue a bit to let those lackeys of the goddesses open up the cell. The ex maid gave him a nod of thanks and entered, asking him to close the door behind her. He frowned but did so.

"Well, well… I didn't expect to see you." Came Vaati's voice.

She found him easily. The cell wasn't very big. The wind mage was seated against the wall, seeming to be as comfortable as one could be in such a place. She didn't see how he could look so at home… the place had a foul stench and blood on its surfaces-and she didn't wish to know to whom it belonged.

"I did not think I would come to see you…" she said quietly.

"Yet you have." He said, "What do you want."

"Milord…" she started a bit shakily, "I… I've never made any attempt to hide my feelings for you… even though I know they were not reciprocated… But from what I have heard, you have never kept a woman around for very long… I know it's foolish for me to have such hope… But do you feel anything at all for me?"

The wind mage's features were stern. This was a conversation he did _not_ want to get into.

"If you already know the answer then why ask?" he answered moodily.

"Please just answer the question!" she said almost desperately. "If I really am just a toy then just say so! I don't care! I just want to hear it from you! I… I just want to know what I really am to you…"

He gritted his teeth. Why? Why, why, why? Seeing her in such distress… it bothered him…

"When I first saw you," he started, "I wasn't myself. I was a slave under a curse with the name Haizea… and I became attached to you at first sight. The curse gradually began to wear and the attachment loosened somewhat… then the curse was just lifted completely… and I still wanted you. But Haizea felt differently about you than what I feel…" He stopped, not quite sure what to say after that. Yet she still stood there, listening intently with dark eyes begging for him to go on.

"And what do you feel?" she asked in just barely a whisper.

He remained quiet.

"Please answer…" she said ever so quietly.

"I don't know." He answered.

She didn't seem satisfied with the answer but said nothing. Those eyes just pleaded with him, though, and it bothered him to no end.

"I don't know!" he snapped, "What else do you want to hear?! I can't be any more truthful than that!" he averted his gaze so he didn't have to look at her face… That damned face that confused him so much… "Just leave…"

He heard movement from her part but he tried to ignore it. But she didn't leave. She gently took his hand and kissed it softly. He shifted uncomfortably as he felt what he could only assume to be tears follow the kiss.

"Milord… To me… Haizea and Vaati are the same person… just different sides… Yet I've known Vaati longer, and if you must separate yourself then I can only say that it is Vaati who I love with all my heart, yet Haizea introduced us…" she said, "And if Poe is your most loyal servant… then I am your second most loyal servant… And even when I'm gone and you've long forgotten me, I will always be the servant who loved you more than life itself…"

He chanced a look at her and then regretted it. She was looking right at him, crying her eyes out silently… and he could tell that she meant every word she had just said. He had made girls cry. It normally didn't bother him too much. When it did, it was because it was annoying. But watching _this_ girl cry was different… It bothered him, but not because it was annoying. It bothered him because _he_ was the reason she was crying. Her heart was being torn apart and it was _his_ fault.

Frustrated, he yanked his hand away and averted his gaze again. "Leave."

He heard her stand up and pause. "As milord wishes…" she said. Then he heard a few footsteps, the door open and the door close.

Those were the most horrible sounds he had ever heard.

Rayeh quickly walked away. She didn't stop to answer any questions Link had, she didn't stop to wipe her face of the dampness pouring from her eyes… She stopped when she was in the main chamber, however. She sank down against the wall and hugged her knees, more tears flooding her face.

Rejection. She knew it was going to happen… but it didn't help knowing it was going to happen. It happened… and worst of all, he wasn't even sure how he felt about her.

She hated herself so much at the moment. How did she let herself fall in love with him? How was she able to fall in love with him? Why did she ever even have to meet him? To think… if she had chosen to take that one day off five years ago, everything could have been avoided. The situation she was in right now probably would have never happened… But fate seemed to have other plans, and what was happening was real. But how could such pain, such unbearable pain be real? She wasn't being physically tortured but it hurt more than anything she had ever endured…

"Oh… poor, poor little girl…"

She jumped and quickly jerked her head to the side. Din was there, sitting next to her, putting on the most convincing gaze of concern.

"Suffering so, so much…" she said. She sighed tiredly and continued, "I always did say that sorcerer was a horrible creature… not to be trusted. You trusted him… and look where it's gotten you now: crying your eyes out with a broken heart…"

Rayeh remained quiet. She wanted to be alone… she didn't want to hear this… but she didn't want to defy the goddess either.

"I think you would just need to get away from it all for a bit… It's the daytime outside… I'm sure it would be safe to get some fresh air, if only for a moment." said Din.

The former maid just gave the goddess an incredulous look. Was she attempting…? "I cannot believe you take me for that much of an idiot." She spoke her thoughts aloud.

The goddess's eyes widened at that comment, but her face quickly became unreadable. Rayeh stood up, wiped her face, and then looked down at the goddess.

"I had always thought the goddess of power would be nobler than what I see before me." she said. She then walked off to her assigned quarters, not bothering to look back at the goddess. She didn't even bother to think about how she had insulted her, either. In fact… whether the goddess took action or not, she didn't care. Living seemed a horrible prospect to her now…

But she made it her quarters without any problems. She just lay down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. She didn't want to think…

"Lady Rayeh…" she heard Poe's voice as the door squeaked open slightly.

She didn't answer.

"Lady Rayeh… I did as you said…" his voice sounded… depressed.

She sat up a bit and looked at him. The ghost seemed to be almost a mirror image of how she was feeling. "I did as you said, as well." she told him.

The ghost sadly floated up near her. "I suppose… we both got what we expected…"

"It doesn't make the pain any less real." She said simply.

"I'm sorry I always called you disposable…" said the ghost quietly.

She shook her head and said, "You needn't be… I am, after all…"

The ghost sighed deeply and his shoulders slackened in that hopeless way. He seemed to be off in a far off land, but he was still present as he said, "I guess we're just losers in the game of love, aren't we?"

She chuckled a humorless laugh and said, "I suppose we are… But we luckily have each other to relate to."

He smiled a bit, not really meaning it but the thought saying it all. "Losers in love need to stick together…" he commented grimly.

And so the two just remained there, not saying anything. Both had been through experiences they would rather forget, but at the same time were glad they just had someone they could relate to. And if they did feel the need to talk… they knew the other would listen.

Finally, she smiled tiredly and said, "Losers in love can be the best of friends, don't you think?"

Mimicking her smile, he said, "Of course, Lady Rayeh, of course."

* * *

For those of you who didn't quite understand the convoluted conversation Rayeh and Vaati had, he was basically telling her that he has two sets of memories. He considers Haizea and himself to be two different people. When he first met her, he was Haizea. Haizea genuinely cared for her, and even then he had a hard time accepting it. But his curse began to wear off and he became more of his old self. The only problem is, when the curse did lift completely, Haizea's feelings for Rayeh never completly left. And as she so accurately said, Haizea and Vaati are the same, just different parts of the same person. Thus, he is confused as all hell because he doesn't know how to accept being loved and the concept scares him, especially since he's not sure how he feels about her... And of course, Rayeh won't be satisfied with hearing that, so she's now horribly depressed to the point where dying seems a lovely idea.

Oh, I can never have a romantic sub plot and make it happy can I? ... No seriously, I can't. I'm looking back on my original stories with romantic subplots and they have horrible endings... I'm a monster... Oh, but don't worry. As far as horrible endings for romantic subplots go, this one is going to be happy compared to the other ones I've done.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!


	14. Big Mistake

Ah, so tired... My room is like... remodeled now. Had I known this would be happening today, I would've updated yesterday despite how lousy I felt. D: It feels weird now, having everything moved around.

Anyways, this chapter's a little short and I apologize for that, I promise the next few chapters are going to be a little more... Well, it'll have a lot more interesting content.

* * *

Link was clueless. He had no idea what had happened inside that cell that Rayeh came out crying. When he asked Vaati about it, the wind mage just gave him an evil glare and said nothing.

He wasn't about to push it; he had other things to do. He was pretty sure he was already behind on the vote count. He knew he had to get more votes but that was easier said then done… just like all the other things he was dealing with at the moment. It was one of those things he really thought he would need some help on, but he wasn't going to ask Rayeh to help- not after whatever happened. Poe, on the other hand, he was pretty sure he could bother him if he could find him. And if he couldn't find him… well, the show had to go on.

Some of the more curious gods often spent time outside of their living quarters, so he could find them and talk to them more easily. He would not argue with that, it made his life much more simple. In fact, right now, all he wanted was some more simplicity. But never mind what he wanted…

He got brushed off by a lot of the gods he dared speak to. There were some that were just way too creepy looking, so he didn't even get near them. The ones he did have courage to talk to either blew him of or listened politely to what he had to say. The only problem was, whether they looked scary or not they were still gods. There was pressure and he felt it. He stuttered, his voice cracked, a couple of times he actually tripped for no reason.

When he was in the middle of a conversation with one of the gods, he felt the stone in his hat vibrate softly. He ended the conversation as quickly as possible, hopefully without seeming too rude, and went off to the side.

"It's fair game." Zelda said, "Anything can happen."

"Anything?" That wasn't what Link wanted to hear.

"Anything," she repeated. "And knowing Din, it probably would be best to expect the unexpected."

"Anything she pulls now really won't surprise me." Link assured her truthfully.

"Well, be prepared…" she said.

It was quiet for a moment before Link finally said, "So… do you really think I'm dumb?"

"Please, Link… let's not get into this," she started.

"No, I think we should get into it." he said.

He heard a sigh from the stone underneath his hat, "It's just what we were born into."

"And when you say it like that, it makes it sound like… It makes it sound like you don't think we can work." He told her, not bothering to hide how irked he was at the moment.

"It will work, Link… it's just that you have to learn the things that I have been raised on. And because of that, you can seem a little slow by comparison… But you're not, it's just that you don't present yourself the way you should in front of more…"

"High class?" he finished for her a little bitterly.

She said nothing at first and then said a bit warily, "Yes… The more high class will find your general attitude insulting… No matter how good your intentions might be, appearances are everything in the… high class… world."

"Yeah, whatever… Now I don't want to talk about it anymore." Link said. If Zelda said anything, he tuned it out. He just went to where his assigned room was and stuffed the gossip stone that was under his hat underneath the pillow.

High class, middle class, low class… what did it matter? Why did it matter? As he paced around all over the inside of that mountain he felt so… so trapped! He didn't want to be inside at the moment. At the same time he wasn't going to be going outside so easily. Not after the incident with the creepy Keaton. That warning was all he needed to steer clear from the outside. Not to mention that outside was filled with horrible raging spirits that wanted to kill and/or destroy whatever crossed their path.

"Link."

As he very visibly winced, he really wished the goddesses wouldn't sneak up on him like that. "Farore… Do you need to do that?" he asked as he turned around to face her.

The green goddess smiled softly and said, "I apologize. Force of habit, you could say."

"Well… come to say how dumb I sounded today?" he asked.

The goddess of courage cocked her head to the side, "I thought you did rather well. The mage's mouth was a problem, though." She said. "I have been speaking to some of the lesser gods; some of them are willing to keep an open mind."

He sighed but tried not to sound too relieved, "Thanks…"

"Did Zelda say something to you regarding your performance today?" Farore asked.

Link frowned, not too sure if he wanted to get into his personal problems with a goddess. Since it was Farore, however, he decided he could let it slide-just a little. "Something like that. It has to do wit the classes we were born into… I mean, I thought that part was over with but it's not apparently."

"Love is a tricky business." Said the goddess.

He remembered Rayeh and how she looked earlier that day. "Very tricky." He said grimly. "Hey, can I ask a favor?"

She nodded.

"I'm getting cabin fever; do you think it would be okay if you came outside with me? I mean, what with the evil spirits and everything… it's not exactly safe to be going outside but you can stop them if they try anything right?" he asked, hoping he wasn't presuming too much.

She smiled again and said, "We can go outside, if you wish."

He thanked her, feeling some immense relief. He just needed a little fresh air, just a second of it. And with Farore around he wouldn't have to worry about the evil spirits.

As they went down the hall that led to the outside, Farore inquired a bit more about the situation with Zelda. He gave as little information as possible at first, not wanting to trouble the goddess, but she seemed to really listen. He ended up telling her the whole story, even letting slip that he was sort of cheating during the trial by having Zelda speak to him. She didn't seem to condone that part, but really didn't reprimand him about it. She just listened and added a comment every now and then and Link found that in the end, he did feel better about it.

It was a good way to pass the time too. As soon as Link finished venting, the entrance to the hallway was in view. They passed the glamour hiding it and into the sunlight. Link had to admit, the atmosphere may have changed from too peaceful to too dangerous but the sunlight felt so nice. He sniffed the air and took in the smell of the earth. He would have much preferred the scent of salty sea air, but earth had to do for now. He was a long way from home after all. Still, outside felt nice. He was glad for the opportunity.

Link opened his eyes and sighed deeply before looking around for Farore to say he was ready to go back. However, when he opened up his eyes… she wasn't there.

"Farore…" he muttered, suddenly feeling very alone. She had been there just a moment ago… How could she have just disappeared… stupid question. _Why_ would she just disappear like that? That was the question he should have been asking.

"Farore," he called again. No response of any sort. He felt a chill go up his spine. It was unbearably quiet.

Where did she go?

"_Looksee, he's back…_"

He felt the hair at the back of his neck stand on end. It was a single voice… but he remembered hearing that voice among many.

"_He remembers us- how nice!_" said another voice.

How not nice, he thought. His worst fear about coming outside was happening at that moment… Where had Farore gone?

Wait? What did it matter? He relaxed slightly as he remembered they claimed they couldn't touch him last time he dealt with them. But he still had to find Farore.

He heard a cackle from nowhere and stifled a shiver. "_He thinks we can't touch him._"

"_How cute._"

Oh, he definitely did not like the sound of that.

"**Isn't it a coincidence that we can deal with both our greatest adversaries? And we already took care of one; it only makes it simpler!**"

That was what caused him to whimper. The multitude of different voices sounding at once… And that one voice that was a part of it. He gulped and then turned slowly around. Farore was there… but not really there. The absence in her eyes told him she was being controlled by something else… He didn't even want to think of how it was possible… how they managed to take control of a goddess… But one thing was proven to him by all this:

He was screwed.

* * *

That's right... Link was the idiot that got to screw up! YAY! ... wait...

Teehee, I actually look forward to writing the next few chapters. Except for explaining everything... Blech, I do not look forward to that because it's complicated as hell... But everything else I will enjoy.


	15. The Trial Part 2

I hate not updating from my computer. It doesn't feel right... Anyways, this chpater has MOAR characters from Ocean Fortress. Just because. Anyways, I'd talk to the people this time around but... Well, simply put this computer I'm using does not afford me that luxury... Well, it does but the internet is made suck here. And the computer I was using before seems to have lied to me...

* * *

Darkness… it was really dark. Where was he? He wasn't sure. He heard something… a kind of music playing… a lute or guitar? A lute maybe… it didn't quite sound like a guitar. Link felt something wet on his nose. His eyes shot open. It was still kind of dark, but he could make out silhouettes of rock formations. He was in some kind of cave. A damp cave from the drops of water pattering on his head too.

He looked around to see if he could see anybody. If there was music playing somewhere that must've meant there was somebody else here too. And for his sake, he hoped it wasn't a possessed Farore. He paused for a second as e thought everything over. That possessed Farore and her undead buddies probably brought him here… so why did they leave him alone? And could they possess Farore? They were evil… How could evil possess a being that was one of the epitomes of holiness?

He shook his head quickly to rush the thoughts out of his head. He had to get out. He made a move to stand up but fell flat on his torso. His legs were tied. He went to reach for them. His hands were tied. He said a word he shouldn't have said and attempted to wriggle out of his bindings. Nothing happened except that his wrists began to sting.

He was so busy trying to worm his way out of his bindings, he hadn't noticed that the sounds of the lute were nearing. Or more accurately, it was hard to notice it was nearing what with the echoes going on throughout the cave. He did, however, notice a pair of boots stop in front of him. It was then that he looked up and saw that a tall, hooded figure playing a lute was staring down at him, as if he was just some obstacle in the way of this person's path. Link just gritted his teeth, not sure what to think of this strange person. Was he one of the evil spirits? Or maybe he was just a wandering idiot who knew how to play a lute…

The strange hooded man continued to play his lute until he finished his song. Then he knelt down and gently put his instrument down, looking over Link. The teen just felt his stomach tighten. A hand emerged from the sleeve of the man's cloak. Link shut his eyes, preparing for the worst. This was obviously a man possessed by the evil spirits and he was going to finish him off. He felt something warm come over his wrists and then the pressure of the bonds was gone.

Link opened one eye and looked back up at the man, who was withdrawing his hand. Slightly confused, he pushed himself up and arranged himself so he was sitting up straight. The hooded man then took out his hand again and took off the bonds via magic. Strange, Link thought. This magician was burning the ropes off… but why?

"Who are you?" Link asked him.

No response. The hooded person just sat, picked up his lute again and began to play it. While Link had to admit he played well, he was still rather unhappy he wasn't getting an answer.

"Why'd you help me?"

No answer.

'I don't take it you're going to tell me where we are…"

"…Selepation Cave…"

Link almost jumped out of his skin. He hadn't expected an answer. At all. The man (he was sure of it now from the sound of the voice) had spoken lightly, yet he somehow couldn't shake the feeling that it sounded familiar. But these days, everything was sounded familiar.

He looked around again and saw that the cave was still as empty as it was before, save for himself and this weird person in front of him.

"What are you doing here?"

No answer.

Link frowned, and then tried another question. "Where'd Farore and all the other baddies go?"

"Away…"

Very talkative fellow, commented Link in his mind sarcastically. And it didn't tell him anything he didn't already know. He might as well start asking the productive questions, then…

"Selepation Cave… what is it exactly? Well, where is it, actually."

"It is a cave… near a mountain… the wind likes to blow here…" said the man. He finished his song and then said, "I know a song about the wind…" And then he started a new song on his lute, presumable the one about the song he had just mentioned.

Link felt a bit of his face twitch in irritation. Was this guy even on the same planet as him? He paused at that thought. That last thought raised a little red flag… but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Getting frustrated trying to place it, he went on with t he questions.

"Do you know how long I've been here?" He asked the man.

"… Hours…" he said simply, but still lightly.

He flinched. "Hours? How many exactly?" He asked worriedly.

The hooded stranger paused his lute playing, as if he was thinking. "Eight… or ten…" Then he continued with his lute.

Eight… or ten? He felt the color drain from his face… Right about now the trial would be staring again. That… that wasn't good at all. This was… this was a plot of Din's, he just knew it. It had her name written all over it. Link was progressing well and she… she felt threatened and had him captured and thrown away. By not attending the trial today, he might as well have been giving up completely on Vaati- at least that's what it would have seemed to everyone else. And that also meant Vaati was the one who was going to be defending himself and that just meant lots of bad things were probably going to be happening… But what did Farore have to do with this? Was she really possessed or was she in league with Din? That was always possible… they were sisters after all…

But that didn't seem right. Farore genuinely seemed to care for him. She expressed that five years ago, and he was sure she wasn't lying about helping out this time… So Din obviously had something to do with the spirits possessing farore somehow… He didn't know how, but Din must've granted them some sort of special power…

But there was time after this was all over and done with to think about the "how's". Right now, he just had to get out of there and save Vaati from convicting himself by just acting like himself.

"How do I get out of-"

So wrapped up was he in his thoughts, he hadn't even noticed that the strange lute playing man had left. He grimaced. What was he supposed to do now?

* * *

Much like yesterday, Vaati had been lead out of his cell by Din's cronies. He didn't care much for the glow worms… he kind of wished he had his magic back so he could blast them all to hell… or maybe even make statues out of them. Would they still glitter if he turned them to stone, he wondered with an evil grin.

As he stood in front the trial chamber, he noticed that Link was not there. Strange, he thought, the boy never seemed the type for lateness. He waited around more, until the flow worms pushed him into the trial room. Still no Link, even as he went to his table. The thought crossed his mind that Link ran away, knowing that they couldn't possibly win. He wouldn't be surprised if that was the case and, to be honest, it didn't bother him in the least. At the same time, he knew Link wasn't that type. He was as stubborn as a mule, and even when he thought something was pointless he would still try to win it, no matter what.

Interesting… he thought, What have you gotten yourself into, boy?

As he was thinking of all the potentially dangerous things that the idiot of a boy could get into it, the rest of those in the trial room were going through opening proceedings. He only started to pay attention when Din was getting all excited about the calling of certain parties down into the trial. It was then he left his ears open to hear what she was saying. He only caught every other word since he wasn't paying that much attention, but he did manage to hear that Venus, the bitch Queen of Faeries was being called first. He decided that it would be best to remain expressionless, so Din wouldn't have any hints of her little surprise.

"Venus, Queen of the Wild, the Winter, and the Summer Fae, please descend to the trial center." Nayru called.

The faerie woman gracefully glided down into the trial center. Din summoned a grand chair for the queen to sit upon, and the faerie took it, as expected of her. Vaati was beginning to wish he could sell tickets to this, but for now he might as well enjoy the show.

"Venus, Queen of the Faeries… you've dealt with this sorcerer before, correct?" asked Din.

The Faerie Queen nodded, "That is correct."

"You were at his last trail here, as well?" she asked.

Once again, Venus nodded and agreed.

"Would you be so kind as to tell me what you said at the last trial?" Din asked as sweetly as she could muster.

Venus smiled just as sweetly and said, "I would… but I'm afraid I cannot remember."

"Wonderful, could you please…" Din then caught herself. She was not expecting that. "What?!" she spat angrily.

The Faerie Queen kept her sweet smile and repeated, "I told you, I cannot remember."

There was a murmur among those in the chamber. Din was doing her best to keep all that rage bottled up inside but she did turn on her heel and march right towards Vaati's table. She slammed her hands down on the table.

"What deal have you stricken with her?!" she hissed angrily.

Vaati just smiled smugly and said, "I would not know what you're talking about. I haven't spoken to this woman in five years."

Din's eyes widened at the phrase "five years". She certainly had never expected that the Faerie Queen had been involved in the vents that happened five years previously. Almost in a panic, Din turned back and marched to Venus.

"Say it again!"she demanded of the faerie woman.

"I do not remember."

"Again!" demanded the goddess.

"I do not remember."

"Again!" she shrieked.

"I do not remember." Venus said simply as the last two times, still with her sickeningly sweet voice.

The red goddess's nostrils flared and she shrieked. In fact, in front of all of the lesser gods and spirits, she went on a whole little tantrum. She cursed, she stomped, she wailed, she screamed, she shrieked, fiery sparks of magic were splurting out of nowhere in dangerous bursts.

And Vaati enjoyed the show ever so much. He had known she was going to get angry but not angry enough to act like a child over it! It was just way too good and he did not even try to hide his laughter. And somehow, he doubted anyone would c are what he was doing at the moment given all Din's bottled up rage being thrown out in the open.

Nayru had to come and ruin all the fun, though. She shouted her lungs out at Din and Vaati had to admit that it was the first time he had ever seen the blue goddess look so rattled. Seeing Din upset was normal. The wind mage had no doubts that the vile woman was always angry. Nayru on the other hand… he had to admit that was scary sight.

It was about an hour before the red goddess regained her composure. Nayru ordered a thirty minute recess then. Vaati didn't even bother to move from his spot at the table. Really, there was no point. Where could he go?

Instead, he went back to thinking about the whereabouts of Link. He had certainly missed out on a show. He wondered if green clad boy would've enjoyed it? Still, being late was one thing, this was a whole other thing. Something definitely had happened to him, and as much as the thought made him want to vomit, he was concerned. Not about winning or losing, whatever happened happened, there was going to be no changing that… He found he was actually really concerned for Link. He felt sick to his stomach for it, but he hoped that he wasn't in too much trouble… or dead…

The recess had finished, and everyone began to file back into the chamber. The lesser gods and spirits still seemed to be chattering about the red goddess's outburst. The whole room became silent when she entered. She shot a nasty look at Vaati, something which he expected so he smiled back at her pleasantly. The goddess scowled and simply went to her table. She then became expressionless.

Nayru then her took her spot at the highest stand and said, "We will now restart the trial from where we last left off. Din, you may present your next witness."

Din nodded and then stood. She circled around the trial center silently for a while before saying, "The next one I am planning on calling is not a god or spirit. He is a human… a foreign human. And the reason I am going to call him is because it is his fault that the sorcerer stands before us today! Had it not been for this human's interference, none of us would be here and the sorcerer would still be under his curses!" she paused and snapped her fingers. Out of nowhere, two of Din's glow worm servants appeared. Each held an arm of a figure with scraggely, long black hair, a crooked pair of glasses, and furry ears. He looked like he had gone to the ends of the earth and back… and Vaati honestly could not remember for the life of himself ever seeing a person like this.

"This, gods and spirits," started Din, "Is Evan Lowell, my next witness."

Even with a name, Vaati still couldn't place it at all…

* * *

Hurr, Evan's back... and the poor kid's been bullied as usual. And Vaati doesn't remember him at all! Oh my poor little spazzatoid... Well, I could talk about how adorable and cute I think my little Evan is but I won't. I just want to add that the area Link is in is actually from a different game/ If any of you have played Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, there's actually a level called Selepation Cave. For no reason in particular, I just decided to throw that in here. Also, another thing I should add, for those that don't know: Din forced Venus to say it three times because a fairy cannot tell a lie three times. If they say it three times in a row, it's the truth, the absolute truth.


	16. The Trial Part 3

Oh hurr, hurr. Sorry for the lateness. After I updated _Starcatchers_, I spent most of my day reading glorified porn- I mean, smut- I mean... shoujo manga... Yeah... Shoujo... You'd be surprised how sexy some of them can be, hehe... ANYWAYS, nobody needs to know that...

So one we go...

* * *

Evan… Evan… it did ring a bell… a very small, tiny bell… Then it hit him. That was the boy who violated his mind five years ago! Granted, it was necessary… but mind violation was still mind violation! And if that brat was still here did that mean that other asshole was there too? Not that a loon like that guy could make his situation worse.

"Evan," Din cooed quietly to the limp, lanky boy in her servants' hands. "Evan, dear… Wake up."

"Please drop the theatrics, Madame Goddess…" Evan's voice just barely muttered. It seemed to take all his effort, but the boy managed to lift his head a bit higher so he made eye contact with the woman. "It will only make you seem like more of a bitch."

Vaati noted the twitch in the goddess's eye. He smirked. The boy had grown some attitude during his imprisonment… yet he was still polite as hell in the way he said it.

"Fine then, if that's the way you want it." She said roughly. She gestured to her servants and they dropped Evan on the floor and disappeared. "Get up."

The once would-be wizard forced himself up, remarkably without any accident. His face was a blank slate, devoid even of his usual clueless look.

"Don't make this harder for yourself, boy," spat the red goddess, "Just answer my questions."

Silence.

To say Vaati was feeling nervous wouldn't be a lie. He was. He hadn't expected this and he had no idea how things would turn out. He knew what imprisonment could do to a person… he'd been imprisoned a few times himself and he could easily say it didn't make someone cheerful… And it could be considered his fault that Evan was imprisoned… _But it was mostly Dietrich's fault_.

"Now little Lowell… When you went into the mage's mind five years ago, what did you see?" Din asked.

Something unexpected then happened. Evan smiled cheerfully and said, "My Lord told me not to answer any of your questions."

This time, the wind mage couldn't hold it in. The expression on Din's face was just too priceless!

"Stop laughing!" She snarled at him. "What's so funny?!"

At this point, he didn't really care whether he gave the red bitch attitude or not. "It's like everyone is against you! I just can't help but laugh at the irony of it all!" And he continued his fit of laughter. Really, he was the evil one… He could admit that freely… Good was "supposed" to triumph over evil… but the way things were going… Just thinking about it caused him to laugh harder.

Din did not just say a word, she just seethed. _Laugh all you want, vile creature… I always win in the end…_

Eventually, Vaati stopped laughing, even though he still thought the situation was humorous. Din continued to try and pry an answer out of Evan, but even though the kid looked like hell in a hand basket, his answer was always the same:

"My Lord told me not to answer any of your questions."

And Din continued to boil during the whole process.

"You know he's not going to answer so why don't you just go fetch his "lord"?" Vaati finally said.

Din just glared at him and then finally went to her own table, saying, "Your turn, mage."

As always, he smiled pleasantly at her just to piss her off. He remained at his table, he saw no need to get up.

"So, Evan… I don't have too many questions, hope you don't mind terribly."

"Not at all." Evan said, still cheerful. "My Lord didn't say anything about talking to you."

"Speaking of the bastard," Vaati ignored the flinch from Evan, "When it comes down to it, since he was the one who technically instigated this… why are you here instead of him?"

"Well, you're right about that… I was second choice, but… Well, I don't think Madame Goddess will be too happy if I say it…" Evan said a little nervously.

"Then by all means, say it." Said the mage.

The lanky young man shrugged and said, "My Lord escaped. I haven't seen him for a long time now. He just told me that if I was ever called up here, not to answer any of Madame Goddess's questions."

The word "escaped" immediately caused a commotion, but it quieted down quickly. Vaati then said, "And he just left you? He's even more of an ass then I originally gave him credit for…"

"Ah, he said he would be back for me…" Evan started a little anxiously, "But I don't think he's still quite well… He might've forgotten."

"Not surprising." Vaati commented. "Anyways, this about me and I have only one question for you concerning me: You were under orders to invade my mind and make me myself again… All the people who were there know the reasoning behind it all, but nobody in this room - save for the goddesses – knows it. Tell them about it."

Evan nodded and said, "My Lord ordered me to go into his mind because it was necessary. Haizea had forgotten most of the magic he knew when he was Vaati. Had Vaati remained Haizea, Link wouldn't have been to retrieve the Blade of Evil's Bane and defeat Ganon."

The room was deathly silent. All Vaati could do was grin evilly and say, "Isn't interesting how Din leaves out little details like that?" That was when he finally took the time to stand and look up at the audience, "The fact is, evil as you may think me to be, Din isn't telling the whole truth. And isn't that why trials exist? To tell the truth? A goddess Din may be… but honest, she is not. So how can you really trust a word that goddess says? You can't, because her being a goddess doesn't necessarily make her trustworthy – and if that is your reasoning, it's just plain idiotic."

_Wow…_ Evan thought, _Back home he'd be a great lawyer…

* * *

  
_

Link was frustrated. That weird guy with the lute was still around, he could hear the thing being played everywhere… but the echoes were causing the noise to bounce around all over the place. Worst of all, he had no idea where he was. Just that he was in the middle of a damp cave, couldn't find his way out, and there were probably evil spirits and a possessed Farore somewhere.

Farore… he still had to wonder how those spirits could have possessed her…

_Bump_.

He was absorbed in his thoughts again…

But at least he found the lute guy. He had bumped right into his back and caused him to miss a note.

"Ah, sorry?" Link shrugged as he back away.

The hooded man just looked from Link to his lute, and began to play again. He then just began walking on again as if nothing happened. Apparently, nothing got to this man.

Brushing away his irritation, he sped up to catch up with the strange man. What should he ask him first… something he could answer, obviously. "Have you seen a woman all dressed in green anywhere?"

"No." He answered simply.

The teen frowned. That wasn't good… he needed to find Farore before he could leave this place. But maybe… Nayru. If he could get to Nayru, she could clear it all up. While he was there he should try to find Farore first, though…

_Grah!_ He thought angrily. _Dammit brain! Make up your mind?! Look for Farore or go to Nayru?!_

The music had stopped. The lute player had stopped in his tracks, as if something just hit him. Then, he ran to the side as if his life depended on it. Link had no idea why until he saw bluish spirit lights… The same kind of lights that swarmed around Poe that one night. He followed the hooded man behind the rock he had hid behind.

"What are they doing here?" he asked in a hushed whisper to the strange man.

The lute player just shushed him and then gestured for him to listen. Link frowned but chanced a look over the rock. His eyes widened at the sight of who was among the spirits, but he listened.

Farore, was among the spirits, looking to be in a foul mood. **"Where is he?! How could he have gotten out of his binds!?"** She demanded. Much like before, her true voice was obscured by the many voices possessing her. The other spirits not in her body merely shuddered at her voices.

"_We don't know… We think that the escaped prisoner Din spoke of might be behind it…_"

**"Idiots…"** Farore muttered. **"Find them – _both_ of them. Destroy the escapee, if you see him. Din's annoyed with him… We can't blame her, though… This trial she's so upset about wouldn't even be happening if he didn't interfere… You'll just have to break the legs of the other one, though… We can't have him dead."**

Then they all drifted off. Escapee? He looked over at where the hooded man was. "Escapee? You were in prison?"

The figure nodded and tapped his lute quietly, as if dying to play it yet knowing it would probably compromise their position.

Link then had an idea of who this strange person was… He had annoyed Din because he had caused the trial somehow… he was a prisoner… and he had disappeared, along with his apprentice after Ganondorf was defeated.

"Dietrich…" he muttered.

The hooded figure's head cocked as if in recognition. "Familiar…" He muttered.

He just shook his head in disappointment. He never liked the man, but it was sad to see him like this… "Still crazy…"

He had never expected what came next. Dietrich's hand went right for his throat and squeezed. "I'm _not_ crazy." He snarled.

Link hacked and attempted to pry the fingers off of his throat, but, as if finally realizing what exactly he was doing, the hooded wizard let go.

"Oh… terribly sorry…" he muttered, "That… that happens sometimes…"

The teen just caught his breath and massaged where the bruises would no doubt come on his neck. "You should really… work on… that…"

The wizard just brushed his hand through his hair, throwing the hood down in the process. The foreign wizard had not changed one bit from the last he saw him. He still seemed a little out there… but saner than the last he saw him. "I drift in and out…"

"Do you know how those… spirits were able to possess… Farore?" Link asked, still struggling a bit to catch his breath.

"I could not say much… I told you I have been drifting in and out. I have little knowledge of what is going on… If it is what I think it is, then the goddess Din probably graced them with some of her own divinity or something like that." Said Dietrich.

"Where's the spaz?"

"Still in the clutches of your goddesses."

"Why isn't he with you?"

"Because your friend, the mage, requires his assistance during his trial… Is that happening now? My sense of time is all over the place…"

"As we speak."

"Then you should probably get going."

"I don't know where to go."

"Well, why did you not say so? Get up; I will take you out of here… You do have some sort of weapon on you, right?" the wizard asked.

Link didn't like the sound of that last part. He didn't have anything on him. The sword he did bring with him was comfortably in his room in the mountain. He probably wouldn't be seeing it anytime soon if Din had gone through his room either… But he still did have one thing… "Yeah…"

Dietrich grimaced as he stood, "I will ignore the uncertainty in your voice. Come now, follow me. We must hurry before I get all… disoriented… again…" And then he began to walk towards where the spirits had been.

Link scrambled up and followed, afraid to voice the question in his mind. But he did anyways. "So… why did you ask if I had a weapon…?"

"Because you will need it if you want to get out."

Link frowned. Why did he always have to be so cryptic?

* * *

Come on. Some of you should've seen that happening. You can't have Evan without Dietrich. You can have Dietrich without Evan, but not the other way around. If you haven't guessed. those are my two favorite OCs of life. I feel bad for inserting them in here but... Yeah, I don't think I really care what you all think... Okay, maybe some of you yes... but not all. ... I'm such a bitch...

This chapter made me lol. You know what I absolutely love about Evan? He can be a dick but be so polite about it... Dietrich has taught him well. He's also blindly loyal to D, much in the same way Poe is loyal to Vaati... except Evan's not treated like shit...

I have to say, my favorite part was when Vaati rants about how untrustworthy Din is... He should be a politician, or as Evan suggested- a lawyer... Well, most politicians are lawyers... Hmm...

Well... it's currently 12:30 AM... I need sleep. Good night all... -falls asleep on keyboard-


	17. The Monster of the Cave

Ah, here we go. next chapter. Sorry for the delay. Well... I should probably have internet back on my home computer within the week, so you probably don't need to worry about the next few chapters.

* * *

Link followed the wizard wordlessly, feeling a bit tired out. The wizard was walking pretty fast, not to mention Dietrich's legs were still longer than his. He had no idea how the wizard leading the way had any idea where the exit was. He wasn't about to ask, though. A question like that might actually annoy him, no matter how good of a question it was.

Eventually, they stopped in front of a rickety wooden gate. Despite its rickety look, when Link attempted to push it open it didn't budge. About to whine about it to the wizard, he turned only to see that Dietrich had stopped in front of two hanging purple tubes by the gate. He struck them both, musical chimes escaping the tubes, and then the doors began to open with eerie creeks.

"You've been in temples yet you could not figure that out?" The wizard said, forking his eyebrow. He was probably just joking but the blond teenager couldn't help but feel a little irritated by that statement.

Now that the old doors were opened, he could see what lay beyond them. It didn't look like a place he really wanted to go to. The doors led to a big, dark, creepy cave. He never had much good luck with big, dark, creepy caves. Dietrich wasted no time and went on ahead again. Link still wasn't very enthused about entering the cave. He was beginning to wonder what would be worse: facing a possessed Farore or facing whatever it was in that cave that Dietrich said he would need a weapon for.

He took a deep breath and gathered his courage before he followed after the wizard. There was a brief interval of time in which there was no light to speak of but it passed and they had entered a large circular cavern. Link sighed in relief as he saw that the other side of the cavern led to another cave in which daylight poured out of. He was about to walk on over to the exit when Dietrich placed a firm hand on the teen's shoulder. He was slightly confused until he felt the whole cavern begin to vibrate.

Why? Why did he have such horrible luck?

The middle of the cavern's floor began to rise and split and then it burst open. Piles of dust and rocks flew around everywhere, obscuring their vision of whatever had erupted from the floor. A horrible screeching roar pierced through their ears and as the dust cleared, so did their vision.

"If you do not mind my asking… what weapon did you say you had?" Dietrich asked.

Link just stared and whimpered at the sight before them. It was a giant worm like creature. It had large, dark empty eyes and most of the rest of its head was a large gaping mouth with pointed, jagged teeth about as long as Link's arms. The rest of the head was flaky, mud caked skin. "A… boomerang…"

He didn't dare look back at the wizard. He wasn't sure he wanted to know the expression on his face. Even Link knew that a boomerang would do absolutely nothing against something with a mouth so large and mostly head, anyway.

"You can use magic now!" Link squealed, finally chancing to glance at the wizard.

He flinched and his face was grim, "No… I cannot…"

"But… but how did you untie me then?! That was magic!"

"That's all I can do…" The wizard shrugged apologetically… "And I don't think I'll be much use to you now…" He added, chuckling in a way that said he was "drifting" again.

The young man could have cried right then had the giant worm not taken a deep breath that began to suck both of them up. The now crazed, not-quite-wizard just smiled absently and began to play his lute again. Link groaned and began to run from the sucking of the worm, doing his best to drag the insane man with him. With his other hand, he fingered around his back for his boomerang. Of all the weapons he had chosen to carry with him constantly, he regretted that it was the boomerang.

As if things couldn't get worse, the worm screeched and, as it screeched, two things shook off from the ceiling. The things floated down lazily towards him and it took him a few seconds to get what they were… They were like electric jellyfish.

"Watch out for the-" He stopped when he realized that Dietrich disappeared somewhere. He grimaced, even though he still knew the wizard was around. He could hear the lute playing from somewhere, he just couldn't say.

The worm began to inhale again. Link was so caught off guard he collapsed onto the floor and felt himself being sucked in faster. He dug his fingers into the floor, hoping it slowed him down some. He panicked even more when he saw that the jellyfish-like creatures had increased their pace as soon as they caught sight of him (with what eyes, he had no idea).

The worm had to finally stop inhaling, and not a moment too soon because the jellyfish were only inches away from him. He rolled off to the side and then ran, still not sure how he was supposed to fight a giant worm like that… and _win._ When the worm did exhale, though, was he glad he moved. Had he remained where he was, a blast of mud would have awaited him. The thing was literally spewing mud at the ground. Luckily, the worm nor the jellyfish seemed to notice where he had gone yet.

He took the brief moment of unnoticeable-ness to think everything through.

To fight that worm with just his hands was suicide, so that was a no go. If he had a sword, it might be a little easier because at least he could slash at the beast and cause damage. Getting close to the worm right now, though, was out of the question. All he had on him was a boomerang, and that wasn't really much of a weapon against something this large. And then he had those electric, floating jellyfish. They were kind of like Blue and Yellow Chus. Touch them and you were shocked… A smiled crept onto his face as he remembered how one could beat a Chu. If you hit them with something else they were likely to be stunned. He supposed he could chance looking like an idiot and barraging the jellyfish with blunt blows from his boomerang… Somehow, he thought doing that might take more time than he really could use. He still had that huge worm that liked to suck up air…

Something in his brain set off. He knew how to beat it now! Well… he hoped it would work…

The worm began to shake the cavern violently, but Link kept his footing, even as the jellyfish spotted him. They charged at him, he took out the boomerang and threw it at the first one. With a "thok" sound, it fell to the floor stunned. The other one ignored its comrade and Link just rolled right under it to retrieve his boomerang. When it was back in hand, he threw it again at the other jellyfish. It had much the same effect as it did the last one. A little nervous about what came next, he put the boomerang on his belt and gingerly outstretched his hands for the jellyfishes. He sighed in relief when they did not struggle or shock him.

Just as planned, the worm began to inhale deeply, pulling himself and his little captives towards it. Feeling the creatures begin to tingle in his arms, he quickly released them into the vacuum of the worm. They were sucked in just as they became fully charged again, and upon feeling something enter its mouth, the giant worm slammed its mouth shut. It took the worm only a second to realize that what it had sucked in was definitely _not_ Link. It screeched angrily in pain, no doubt from the shocks the strange jellyfish were releasing inside of it.

But as much in pain as it was, Link could tell that wasn't the end of the worm. Angrily spotting him, it sent a mud blast at him. Link managed to avoid most of it, but the mud did catch on his legs, forcing him down top the floor. The worm began to suck again and Link did manage to pull himself out of his muddy prison. And as soon as he did that, he heard a familiar zapping sound. He looked up briefly to see more jellyfish coming his way. He smirked and sent his boomerang flying their way.

And so the process went on like that for who knows how long. Link did have to do it several times, because as horrible as the creature sounded, the jellyfish were probably causing lots of pain but little damage at a time. Eventually, the creature did fall however, and greenish blood oozed from its mouth.

Still, the young man was very cautious when approaching the fallen creature. It could be faking or still dying. However, upon closer inspection, it didn't move at all. He couldn't help but notice that the sound of a lute was still going, this time with maniacal singing. It was a strange song, about a wonderland, a dream, and various Alice's… all getting lost in the wonderland and suffering horrible fates.

Frowning, he walked around the worm and sure enough saw the mad wizard sitting cross legged, playing his lute and singing the song that seemed to reflect his mental state.

"Dietrich," he called to the man. The furry eared man stopped and looked at him absently. "Let's go."

The wizard got up, still playing his lute and singing his strange song.

Passing through the tunnel that led outside, Link was immediately grateful when the sun hit his face. On the other hand, as if he hadn't seen the sun in a while, the wizard paused in his lute playing to pull his hood up. Link looked around, seeing the scenery was just as depressing as before… but he couldn't recognize anything. From what Dietrich had said earlier, the cave they were just in (Selepation, was it?), was near Mount Astraea. Well… there was a lot of things that made the terrain rather unidentifiable.

"Hey, do you know where entrance to the inside of the mountain is?"

The wizard made a move as to answer, but instead something else answered.

Something that Link wasn't exactly pleased to hear.

"**We know where it is… But you won't be going there."**

Turning slowly to see the back of the cave, he saw the possessed goddess of courage, along with two other hovering spirits near her.

"What just happened?" Asked Dietrich, seemingly coming back into a sort of sanity.

"We got out of one screwed up situation into another." Link answered him simply.

"**Shall we make this simple, or will you be trying to escape again?"** Farore asked. The cohorts at her sides seemed to be cackling in delight.

"Link…" Dietrich whispered to him, "Farore is your patron goddess… Try talking to her…"

"I doubt that will work." Link told him.

He could sense the glare he was getting from underneath that hood. "Trust me when I say that it will work. She is a goddess, these spirits are the opposite of her… In order to possess her, even with help from that…" he stopped for a moment, as if trying to think of the right word for what he could only assume to be Din, "… Even with help from that _woman_… those spirits are no doubt having trouble possessing a goddess. They are just one step ahead of her, but since you share such a close connection with her, a push might help her overpower them."

Link supposed he could understand the logic in that… but he wasn't quite sure how it was going to work… He gathered his courage, no… the courage that Farore _blessed_ him with, and stepped up.

"Farore, you can hear me in there. Are you really just going to let those spirits take advantage of you like that?" he said.

For a moment, the green goddess came back to herself, but her gaze quickly went back to being that of the spirits. A sneer came over her face and the spirits said through her, **"The goddess is ours now! Nothing you say will get her back!"**

He ignored them. "This is all a trap by Din… and I've got a pretty good idea of how things work Farore… why you would let yourself just get taken over like that. Nayru and Din, they're the ones that are important, but what does courage get? Nothing… even in this trial you don't seem to pose a real threat to anyone side. I bet you've been feeling pretty useless for a long time now…"

It was at this point he began to notice that the goddess's body was shaking slightly. The angry look on her face was only telling Link that whatever he was saying was working, because the spirits possessing her were angrily scowling at her trembling arms.

"But Din's messed up now. She's messed up big time. By trying to bring justice, she's breaking her own rules. She's let her own power get the best of her and as courage, it's your job to stand up to her and take her down! Just like I did with Ganondorf! Don't let her take advantage of you, Farore! If you have courage, you can beat anything! And you're the _goddess_ of courage! Are you going to take this from some uppity spirits?!" He was surprised at how fired up he was getting, but he really felt that he was getting through to her.

And sure enough, to prove his point, Farore was now on her knees. The spirits were clenching her head so tightly, it was almost like they were trying to squeeze her brains out. He heard the spirits screaming from within her body and then, with a bright flash of light, all the spirits were expelled from her body. Each of the spirits let out a horrible scream, but as each left, the green goddess became brighter and the very essence that made her divine seemed to be growing brighter and brighter.

Finally, Farore rose from her knees, standing in her full glory and as herself- as the Goddess of Courage. She looked at the congregation of evil spirits behind her, and they seemed to back down as if in fear. He could hear cries for mercy, and Link could only imagine the look Farore had on her face as she gazed down at the spirits. It was probably so different from her usual maternal look…

"It is apparent that dear sister, Din, is a traitor the very ideals she seeks to protect. As a show of mercy, I convinced my sisters to let you still traverse the plain of the living as spirits… but upon serving the traitor goddess, I have deemed the unworthy of such mercy. May all of you be banished into a realm of unspeakable evil into which you belong." She said it quietly and calmly, making it more intimidating then if she had yelled or shouted.

He looked away, not quite sure he wanted to see what happened next. All he heard were the screams of the spirits, being banished into a place that so horrible he didn't even want to begin to imagine. But as he looked away, he saw that Dietrich's hood had fallen again, and he was reminded of the sadistic nature of the wizard. His face… it was one of utter glee.

Link finally closed his eyes… As much as those spirits deserved it… he couldn't help but feel guilty and horrible for what he had just done…


	18. The Trial's End

Shortish but the next one should be long... Speaking of the next one, I never really mentioned because I wasn't really paying too much attention to it but... the next chapter _should_ be the last chapter. In fact, I am so sure it will be the last chapter that... Well... I dunno...

Anyways, sorry I almost missed the update. I was fiddling with my new WALKMAN! YAY! Now I'm not the only person in the world that doesn't have an MP3 player! :D That makes me happy.

* * *

Back at the trial, nothing was happening. Really, nothing was happening. Because Vaati had cast suspicion on Din, the goddess seemed to be put in a tight enough corner that she really couldn't do anything. Certainly she hadn't expected Vaati to make such a comeback and, to his surprise, it actually felt good to put up a fight against her. Take the goddess part out of the equation and she wasn't that scary.

But despite nothing happening, there was still a dull roar coming from the audience surrounding them. From their balconies they all mumbled and muttered of this new light cast upon one of the supposedly "pure" goddesses. It seemed that no one ever gave a thought that perhaps one of the goddess was corrupt. No, that was just blasphemy, wasn't it? He held in a scoff.

After a few more moments of absolutely nothing happening, Nayru stood- presumably to end the trial for the day and get to judgment (he hoped, he was getting so tried of this trial). She opened her mouth when everyone became deathly silent. With his magic gone, so were his senses, so he had no idea what was going on until he turned his head to see what everyone was staring at. He could fork an eyebrow in somewhat surprise.

Farore led them, looking much different than she usually did because she looked positively angry. And her anger was glaring daggers at Din, who now appeared stoic. Behind her was Link, looking as if he had just come out of a battle… or a very bad dust storm. And there was another one… he couldn't identify the tall, hooded figure with the lute, but he had a good guess since Evan, not having been taken away to wherever he had been before, had brightened up.

"Nayru," Farore said firmly, piercing gaze still on the red goddess, "I accuse our _dearest_ sister of treason."

It had gone from being as silent as a graveyard to as noisy as a normal day in Hyrule market, if not worse. Probably worse.

All the lesser gods and spirits were screaming outrage or confusion… "What's the meaning of this," "What are you talking about," yadda, yadda.

"_Silence!_" Nayru commanded, her voice seeming to shake inside the very souls of everyone present. The room quieted again and the blue goddess spoke again. "Farore, if you would be so kind as to explain why you accuse our sister of such dire charges…"

"Of course, beloved sister," the green goddess said. "To put it simply, Din imprisoned me and the one who holds my power, as well as deciding to take it upon herself to attempt to execute a prisoner who was not scheduled for such punishment."

Din then chanced to defend herself. "Nayru, Farore speaks lies! She has always been jealous of us; she is simply trying to get back at me! Soon enough it'll be against you!"

"You know as well as I that I am incapable of doing such a thing, Nayru." Farore said simply. "Besides, with Link's courage, why else would he be absent from today's trial?"

"Don't listen to her, sister-" Din began.

Farore cut her off. "If you need more proof then ask the spirits that used to wander the outside of this sacred mountain. I have sent them to the Abyss; you can summon them and interrogate them if you'd like." She then gestured to the hooded figure beside her, "And you can also question this third party… our escaped prisoner."

The figure bowed deeply, "If you have any questions, Madame Goddess, I will answer to the best of my abilities."

At the sound of his voice, Evan made a delighted little squeak but said nothing audible. Vaati would never even begin understand what the boy's obsession with that a has-been of a wizard was, nor did he want to.

"Din," Nayru began, "What motivation had you to hinder this trial?" She didn't even seem to doubt Farore's words for an instant.

The red goddess did nor physically collapse, but the look in her face just emptied. She looked almost like a lost child but then her expression changed again. It was an expression of calm rage, calm yet calculated rage… with a slight tinge of insanity.

She pointed to Vaati. "That creature is one of the worst… not as bad as the one who held my power but almost there. I want him dead so he will not ruin the world. The world only needs one ultimate evil. I don't see why everybody else isn't seeing this! He _needs_ to die!" Even her voice sounded unsteady. "I just want to make sure he gets his just punishment… I want to make sure he is _erased_ so the world will not have to suffer any longer. And I'm the goddess of power, so I have the power to stop this, don't I? I'm simply carrying out my duty!"

"I always knew she was completely insane." Vaati commented.

A millisecond after he spoke, Din turned quickly on her heel to face him but rather than speak, she sent a stream of flames his way. Even he wasn't expected that. The mage, not quite a mage with the suspension of his magic, found himself clinging to his chair for dear life. He felt the heat…

But not the burning.

He opened an eye to see that one of the glittering lackeys that seemed so loyal to Din had a firm grip on the arm with which she sent the fire. Another one of the glittering lackeys appeared and grabbed the other arm of the goddess before she used it to strike the first. The look on the goddess's face was quite irate and that was enough to put Vaati back in good spirits very quickly, what with her servants now turning against her.

"Release me!" The goddess demanded of the shining servants. Neither made a move to do so.

"Din, Goddess of Power," Nayru said, sounding as if she was speaking to a complete stranger rather than her own sister. "Your divine power is to be sealed and you are to be detained until Farore and I can figure out what is to be done with you."

The red goddess stared blankly at her blue sister before she finally snarled, "You can't do this to me! I'm one of the Three! You can't ever be rid of me! You can't imprison me!" And she kept screaming things along those lines as the shining servants dragged her away.

Silence came upon the room again, save for Din's mad screaming interrupting occasionally.

"I don't know about everyone else but I think this trial is over." Vaati said plainly.

After a moment the blue goddess said, "I agree with the mage. A recess is to be called until tomorrow where judgment will be passed on the wind mage. Until then, everyone is dismissed." Nayru then stood and retreated to the back.

Farore quickly went off behind her sister to the smaller chamber in the back. Link noted that the goddesses normally never looked to be in a hurry, but the green goddess seemed to be very much in a hurry. Link wasn't exactly sure if that was a good thing or bad thing…

"You certainly missed quite the trial, today."

Link jumped, not having seen the wind mage walk by him. "Did I?"

"That wasn't the first time she exploded today. In fact, the tantrum she had earlier was much more entertaining." Said the mage.

Before Link could ask any more about that, a horrible sound echoed throughout the emptying chamber. A sound like… a lute breaking?

Both turned to see that Dietrich, unhooded and looking quite rattled, had just slammed his lute upon Evan, who was now in a daze on the floor. Noting the expressions of Vaati and Link, the once wizard said, "I do not like hugs."

Casting aside what was left of his lute, the wizard then grabbed the collar of his dazed apprentice's neck and went on his way, following the path of Farore.

"Where's he going?" Link asked, not really expecting any answer.

Vaati gave him one, "Probably to see if he and his apprentice can go to where they properly belong. That would be good riddance, too. They really don't belong here."

"How do you think they'll vote?" asked the teenager.

The mage shrugged, "I'd like to think I had made a convincing argument but I've ruffled more than few feathers in the past. Lesser gods and spirits they may be, but they know how to hold grudges."

"It could go either way, then?"

"It really can."

Silence.

Until Poe interrupted.

"Master Vaati!" The ghost cried happily. "Oh, Master Vaati, you had such excellent wordplay today! I mean, you had that goddess flabbergasted and then she went crazy and-"

"Poe." The mage snapped.

Flinching slightly, the ghost said, "Yes, Master?"

"Shut up or I'll make you shut up." Vaati snarled.

The ghost brightened up, "Oh Master, it's good to see you in such high spirits again!"

The same pair of shining lackeys that had taken Din away had now come back. Vaati then sighed and said, "It seems I'm to go to my cell. Well, until tomorrow Link… And try not to be late."

Link rolled his eyes and watched as the mage and the lackeys went to the cell. He took another look around and then focused his gaze on Poe.

"Hey, where's Rayeh?" He asked the ghost.

Poe shrugged. "I'm not sure. I mean, I haven't seen her since yesterday… I'm sure she came to the trial today, though… And I'm sure she'll be here tomorrow." He said.

Link frowned. "What exactly happened yesterday?"

Poe's expression dimmed. "Let's just say that in the grand scheme of love, me and the Lady Rayeh are failures…"

"Oh…"

Then Link suddenly remembered…

Zelda…

They had fought before… He remembered their argument and then steadily began to feel guiltier as he recounted it. She was right… As much as he hated to admit it… she was right. On the scales of social class, they were different and he really knew nothing of the intricacies of political life and manners… And now that he thought about, she didn't say he couldn't learn, just that he didn't know… If anything Zelda was willing to teach him…

He recalled a long time ago, back when he was still a little kid, he and Zelda had gotten into a fight. It was at that point in time, his grandfather had told him something he should've kept in mind before.

"When ya fight with a girl, always let th'girl win. Chances are th'girl's always right. Even when she's wrong, she's right."

"Link, is something wrong?" Poe asked, sounding slightly concerned.

"I just remembered my own problems with love…"

* * *

THAT DIN'S SUCH A CRAZY HO!

Awhaw, don't worry Link, Zelda'll forgive you. She always does. XD

And poor Evan. Years have passed yet he still doesn't realize that Dietrich does not appreciate hugs, _especially_ from those of the same sex. D: Ah, maybe one day he'll get it.

Nah.


	19. The End

And so it ends. I decided to end it early. I'll talk more in the end.

* * *

Back in his own room, Link had effectively kicked Poe out by telling him "Rayeh might need the company". While it probably was true, he had to admit that he wanted to be alone when he spoke to Zelda. He really didn't need a third party to hear everything he was about to say… But he hadn't been able to summon the courage of which was supposedly bounding from him. He just stared at the pillow under which the gossip stone lie. This was much harder than he thought…

Finally, he took a deep breath and reached under the pillow. To his surprise, the gossip stone was glowing warmly.

"Zelda…" He said, just barely in a whisper.

"I'm here." Her sounded thick, as if she was struggling to speak.

"I'm sorry!" Link said quickly. "I didn't really mean any of what I said! I mean, I thought about it just now and I can see where you're coming from!"

"Wait… you thought about it just now?" Zelda seemed slightly offended from the tone of voice.

He flinched and then proceeded to tell her of all the things that happened while she was out of his head.

"Oh… Oh my, a lot has certainly happened…" She commented. "What do you think?"

"I have no idea. I was out for good chunk of the trial but from what I've heard we have a good chance… If some of the gods and spirits are willing to forget some past transgressions."

"Well, Link, you did prove something." Zelda said.

He gave the gossip stone a puzzled look. Not sure if she could see it, he asked, "What do you mean?"

"You have proven that you can take care of things by yourself… I'm sorry I ever doubted that." She said. He felt a flush come over his face. Coming from Zelda… that really meant something. "Now Link, you need to get some sleep. The verdict is tomorrow, and you went through a lot today."

He smiled at the stone, hoping that Zelda could somehow sense it. She was right. he was exhausted. So much so he wasn't exactly sure how he had forgotten it. He and Zelda exchanged a farewell for the time being and then Link just plopped his back down on the mattress.

Within seconds he was asleep.

"Wake up, Link!"

Link groaned at the sound of Poe's warbly, high-pitched voice.

"Come on! It's nearly time for the verdict to be announced!" The ghost said urgently.

Still grumbling, because it seemed like he had just gone to sleep seconds ago, he pulled on his hat and then his boots. Yawning widely while ignoring the ghost's rushes, he stretched and finally stood, taking the gossip stone and then slipping it under his hat. He somewhat dragged his feet as he walked out of the room but found himself a little surprised to see that Rayeh was waiting outside.

"Today is the day." She said, tone of voice not giving anything away. She even looked expressionless.

"Yeah." He mumbled.

"Well, we need to hurry then! Come _on_!" Poe said angrily.

Rayeh merely nodded and walked on ahead, the ghost following right behind her. Link slapped his own cheeks in an attempt to wake himself up a little more before following them.

"Now's not a day to be late." He heard Zelda say from the gossip stone.

With a great sigh he picked up his pace so he wasn't too far behind them. As they entered the main chamber, gods and spirits were already filing into the trial room. This time, Rayeh and Poe followed him to his place in the trial room. It wasn't long before Vaati came and joined them, the shining once-lackeys of Din "escorting" him, of course.

Neither Vaati nor Rayeh even acknowledged each other.

The room was quiet, save for a few whispers from the lesser gods and spirits. Nayru was visible from her stand that overlooked all and Farore stood by the entry to the back room the trial chamber. When everything became deathly quiet was when the blue goddess spoke.

"As of yesterday, the trial of the Wind Mage, Vaati, was concluded. Now, the gods and spirits will vote on the verdict." Nayru's voice was official, as always, but for some reason… it seemed more final. "All who find the mage not guilty, raise your hand."

Link actually found himself closing his eyes tightly. Poe jabbed him and he opened up his eyes again with a start. He was actually surprised what he saw. Around half of the gods and spirits were raising their hands, including Zephos and Venus.

Nayru looked down to her sister and Farore nodded. Link guessed that the green goddess was the one counting the votes. The blue goddess then said, "You may lower your hands. Now, all who vote guilty raise your hands."

This time Link grimaced. It was the other half of the gods and spirits with their hands raised now. He didn't count, because it was impossible for him to count that fast… but he really hoped that not guilty outweighed guilty.

The blue goddess once again looked down at her sister, who nodded again. Farore then disappeared for a moment and the reappeared next to Nayru whispering something to the Goddess of Wisdom. When Nayru nodded, Farore retreated back down to her previous spot.

"Farore has counted the votes. There was a two vote difference - the closest in the history of the trials of Mount Astraea." She began. She then cleared her throat and said, "The verdict for the Wind Mage is guilty."

Guilty seemed to be played in slow motion in Link's head. Guilty? After everything that happened, he was still found _guilty_? But how? They had even proved that Din was using foul play to try and win this… How was it that she still won even though she wasn't even present?! And now…

_"The killing blow, however, will not be done any of us… but you." _Farore's words echoed through his mind…

Nayru then said, "The sentence is death, to be carried out immed-"

"Excuse me." The one who had interrupted was Rayeh.

The blue goddess had just stared at her as if she was something that had appeared out of nowhere. "Yes."

"If one is willing to take his place… to receive his punishment, would you allow it?" Asked the former maid plainly.

As soon as Link heard that, he just stared at the woman… And from her expression, she was really serious about that question. And that horrified Link even more. Vaati was guilty… not as guilty as the trial made him out to be, but guilty. He would still feel horrible if he had to do the killing blow. But Rayeh… She was completely innocent. The only thing she could be guilty of was horrible taste in men… So if she did take his sentence… he bit his lip, knowing if that were to happen he might be just as bad as Din…

He glanced over at Vaati to see that mage remained just as expressionless as before… but something about him seemed like he was surprised.

"No one had ever offered to do such a thing." Nayru answered.

"I am willing to take his place, if you would let me." Rayeh said it so professionally, no one would ever had guessed that she was once just a maid.

A low murmur came across the room.

Poe eased towards her slightly, hissing into her ear, "What are you doing?!"

"I am only doing what I must." She said. But this time, expression did come upon her. A soft expression, serene…

Link averted his gaze to Nayru. Farore was up next to her again and they were speaking of something. Farore seemed somewhat distraught, while Nayru looked as serious as ever. The green goddess then looked as if she just gave up then and retreated back to her place.

"My sister and I have decided that the girl can take his place, if this is what she truly desires." Said the blue goddess. She looked down at the woman and asked, "Is this what you really want? You are doing this of your own free will?"

Rayeh looked up at the goddess, any fear she had of the divine being gone. She just smiled and said, "Yes."

Everything else after that seemed a blur to Link. He was going to have to…

He had no idea when they had left the trial room. Somehow they ended up right outside of the room and the gods and spirits were all filing away into their own little hall. The only thing that snapped Link out of his daze was Vaati.

"I don't understand…"

Link glanced at him and he saw that the mage looked confused. And not just any kind of confused. It was the kind of confused that said he really and truly did not understand… and it really distressed him.

"Why is she willing to do this?" He asked again.

"Because she loves you, Master Vaati…" Said Poe grimly. At the word "love" Vaati shuddered.

The teen then took the time to examine the ghost. The ghost looked even more pathetic than that time he had asked Link to hold him…

Link finally stood, Poe being the only one who seemed to notice. He was about to walk off and the ghost asked, "Where are you going?"

"I need to talk to Nayru and Farore." And then he walked right back in the trial room to the back room. Sure enough, the two goddess were there.

"Link…" Farore began, looking at him sadly.

"Rayeh can't take his place." He told them firmly.

"It was her decision." The green goddess said softly.

"She's completely innocent!" He said, keeping his voice level. "I can't…"

"Farore and I were just speaking of that." Nayru said.

His brow furrowed as he looked at the blue goddess.

"You landing the killing blow was Din's idea… Since she is currently…" Nayru paused, as if searching for the right word, "Indisposed… We need not take her suggestion. Especially since, as you have mentioned, the girl is innocent. However, she _is_ taking the place of the sorcerer… We need to give her a punishment that will suit his guilty verdict."

"I have already made a suggestion," Farore said, "We will probably use that one."

Link glanced at her. "What is it?"

The green goddess's expression was sorrowful. "What is the most precious thing to her?"

He didn't need to answer that.

"Her memory will be completely wiped. She will forget she ever even met him… We have also been thinking of including exile in the sentence." The Goddess of Courage explained.

He supposed it was better than death… but it still wasn't right. "Where would she be exiled to?"

"Holodrum, most likely. It is far from Hyrule." Nayru said. After a moment, she added, "And the mage."

The teen kept his mouth shut. Their decision seemed to be final. Nothing he said could or would change it.

Farore put a hand upon his shoulder. "Come Link… gather the other two. You can all see her, if you wish."

* * *

Rayeh sat in the cell, feeling more at peace than she ever had in her whole life. She had no idea the fate that lay before her, since the goddess said they could not in good conscience kill her, but she wasn't bothered by it. No matter what had happened, she didn't regret a single thing.

The door to her cell opened. Link and Poe came in, both looking depressed. She smiled at them. "Hello." She said simply.

The ghost seemed to let out a snuffling noise and he neared her, embracing her with ghostly arms. "Lady Rayeh…"

She hugged him back and said, "I will be fine, Poe. I want to take his place."

The ghost let go and just looked at her, ghostly lower lip trembling. "Lady Rayeh, I have something I need to tell you…"

She kept her serene expression. "Go ahead and say it."

"I… I'm willing to be Master Vaati's second most loyal servant so you can be his first most loyal servant." The ghost choked.

She chuckled at that, caressing his cheek as she said, "Thank you, Poe."

The ghost then made a bawling noise and rushed out of the cell.

"I'm sorry…" Link muttered.

The former maid looked up at him with a puzzled look. "Whatever for?"

Link's face was trembling. "If I had worked just a bit harder…"

Rayeh stood and took his hands. "Now don't say such things, Link. We all knew this venture was impossible from the very beginning… And I had a feeling it would end this way." She said somewhat sadly… but then her expression brightened. "But I'm glad!"

"How can you be glad…?" This voice was feminine. Link pulled the gossip stone from his hat and held it out in front of her. "How can you be glad…?" Zelda's voice asked again.

Rayeh looked at the stone, remembering five years ago when she worked in the castle… the little princess who had shown her so much kindness. "Because, I'm doing something to make sure the man I love lives. I have no regrets for doing something I think is right… Do you have any regrets about being with Link?"

"No…" Zelda's voice and the gossip stone trembled.

"It is like that… because I have no regrets about loving Lord Vaati." She said. "And now I am protecting him… Just as you and Link protect each other."

After a few moments, Link left, along with Zelda's gossip stone.

Another moment later and Vaati entered the cell, though, he remained close to the doorway.

She smiled at him with the most calm look on her face. "Milord…"

"Why are you doing this?" He asked harshly.

Rayeh kept her expression. "I love you."

That answer didn't seem to satisfy him. "Why?"

She still kept her smile but said nothing.

Finally, the mage scowled and turned on his heel, only muttering, "Idiot…" before he left.

_An idiot who will always love you._ She thought. And even though she still felt as calm as before, a tear streaked down her cheek.

* * *

Epona whinnied in glee at the sight of Link. The teen smiled and happily snuggled the mare's nuzzle. He was glad to see that she had been treated kindly, but she was no doubt feeling very restless. As far as he knew, the mare hadn't been taken out in the time he had spent there.

It was strange. He had come with two others and he was leaving alone…

He looked back at the entrance to mountain cave, watching the gods and spirits exiting a few at a time.

It was over…

Yet… it being over didn't feel as nice as he thought it would be at first.

It had been two days since the verdict had been declared and Rayeh took Vaati's place. He had not seen Vaati or Poe, but at Zelda's request he did see Rayeh again. The princess was really distraught that the maid that she had once been friends with was to have her memory wiped and to be exiled.

Epona whinnied again, and to his surprise, the horse kicked her back legs. Even more to his surprise, he heard the mare's hooves impact on something… something that crunched.

Link quickly ran over to the other side of the horse and flinched. The poor sap who had suffered Epona's kick was Evan, now sprawled on the floor. He could only guess that the teeth on the floor were his.

"I told him not to walk past the horse." Dietrich said with a sigh.

He kept his gaze on the ex-wizard's look alike. "Is… is he dead?"

"Nah… Nah, I fine… be having… the concussions now…" Mumbled Evan, twitching slightly.

"He has been through worse," Dietrich assured Link. He looked down at his apprentice, "Try to find all of your teeth. We will ask Selene about putting them back in when we get back."

_Not even helping him with that…_ Link thought, flinching slightly as the swollen-faced young man nodded and began to gather his teeth.

"It builds character." Said the ex-wizard, doing that creepy "knowing how minds work" thing that he had done five years ago.

Ignoring that, Link looked back towards the older man and said, "I take it you guys are going back to… wherever?"

"Indeed. We have been here more than long enough." The older man said, "Your goddesses were kind enough to offer us safe passage back to where we belong if we escorted a young lady to a land called Holodrum."

He visibly flinched.

"I take it you know her… Vaati's woman, then?"

Link nodded, "She was… If she's leaving today, then I doubt she even remembers him…"

"It's impolite to speak of others behind their back, you know."

Flinching again, Link glanced back to see that the mage and Poe were behind him. "Free at last?" He asked them.

The wind mage said nothing.

Poe on the other hand, seemed in a much better mood than he was in the last Link saw him. "I don't think I've ever appreciated incorporealness any more than now." He said while disappearing from sight and reappearing with a wide ghostly grin. After a moment, though, he stopped and his shoulders slumped. Link saw why.

Chatting away with Zephos and Cyclos and coming their way was Rayeh. She seemed pretty happy, as if she hadn't had a care in the world. Completely different than the state that Link had seen her in a few nights before after she confronted Vaati. She said farewell to the wind gods and then came their way. As she came closer, it almost seemed as if her memory hadn't been wiped at all.

"Ah, hello there! Nayru told me two of you would be taking me somewhere?" She said. She looked down at Evan and smiled nervously as she watched him brush off one of his teeth. Link could tell she was hoping that he wasn't one of the two who was responsible for escorting her. She was going to be in for a surprise…

"That would be my apprentice and I." Dietrich said, bowing slightly and gesturing towards Evan.

The ex-maid's smile remained slightly nervous.

Poe shakily floated closer to his once upon a time friend. "Ah, La-… I mean, Miss Rayeh…?"

Rayeh glanced at him, jumping slightly because she just noticed his "condition" but then realizing something else. "Um, how do you know my name…?"

"Never mind him," Vaati snapped, "He's an idiot."

She blinked at him. Rayeh walked right through Poe as if she had completely forgotten about him, and just stared at Vaati, as if fascinated. She had stared so long at him, the mage finally hissed, "What?!"

"Um… Have we met before?" She asked.

That actually seemed to catch the mage off guard, but as quickly as it came he hid his surprise. "No…"

Rayeh still kept her eyes on him. "Are you sure? You seem so familiar…"

Not looking at her, he snapped, "Yes, I'm sure!"

She flinched and frowned a frown of insult. "Fine." She got nearer to Link and then asked, "Why is he so moody?"

"He's always like that." Link assured her.

"Well… Evan seems to be finished picking up his teeth." Dietrich said. "If you are ready, miss, the servants of your goddesses have brought the horses."

Sure enough, the two shining servants that always seemed to be around were leading three horses towards them.

Rayeh turned back just to take one final glance at Vaati before getting a horse and seeming to forget everyone else.

And so the three left.

When they were almost pout of sight from the others, Evan had noticed that Rayeh had been staring into her saddle the whole time. Puzzled, and hoping it wasn't too forward of him, he asked, "Miss, is something wrong?"

She jumped slightly, not expecting Evan to be speaking. She then shook her head before staring up into the cloudless sky. "I think I am fine… But for some reason… I feel as if I'm leaving something behind…"

Link and Poe had watched the three leave until they were out of sight. He wasn't sure if Poe had noticed, but he could've sworn Rayeh had turned in her saddle to look back at them. He felt a pang in his chest… a pang of guilt that stretched five years back. This never would've happened if he had just kept Rayeh out of the way five years before. But it was too late for that.

"I guess I was wrong." Link mused.

"Not surprising." Vaati commented. "What about this time?"

"She hasn't forgotten you."

The wind mage scowled. "I think you're wrong about being wrong."

Link didn't even have to look at the pale mage to know that he was still confused… that this whole situation still made no sense to him whatsoever. So frustrated was he, he summoned up a tornado and just left without even saying a word. Link wasn't sure whether to be offended or whether to pity him.

Poe then floated nearer to Link and said, "Link, just so you know… he may not have said it, but Master Vaati is grateful for your help… as am I."

Link shrugged and smiled a bit. "I _did_ owe him."

"Yes… But I don't think he'll be the same…" Poe said almost distantly, then he seemed to remember that Vaati had left without him. "Ah, goodbye Link! Thank you again!" And then he vanished from sight.

Link sighed tiredly and then swung up onto Epona's saddle. It was time to go home… And as before, the feeling that things just weren't right stuck with him the whole way. But he couldn't help but smile.

Because back at home, Zelda was waiting for him.

* * *

Ah, I admit this isn't exactly how I wanted it to turn out - as in the writing. The ending was supposed be like this. Actually, originally Rayeh was going to die but that just seemed SO cliche. I mean, the ending is still cliche, but less so since she's still alive and Vaati is still confused as hell. I don't know how many times I need to say it (though, this might the first time I've actaully said it on here) but I don't support pairing OCs with the characters. I really don't. The whole thing was completely unintentional, but that was where it seemed to lead. But because I hated myself for it, I just _had_ to make sure that it didn't end well. You guys are certainly welcome to interpret how Vaati felt about her. I, personally, settle for the "a while longer and it might've been love but it's not" thing. Simply because, once again, I do not support pairing OCs with the characters.

I regret _nothing_.

Ah... On the bright side, now I have one less thing to do in my life.


End file.
